i 


w^&si^^m:'?  *'-^}m^^r' 


I 


L  1  B  RA  R,Y 

OF   THE 
U  N  1  VER5ITY 
or    1  LLl  NOI5 


920.0773 
BSZ3 


mm  HBTOMCAi  mm 


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1 


tti-ie: 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


OF 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


ILLINOIS. 


1 1^  I^  TLJ  S  TT  Fe  ^^i.'^r  E:  LJ 


.  /  /<v//,-  ///„/  /ale  ,H.  priilc  in  4l,c  noble  achieve  nun  ts  of  remote  ancestors  -cill  never  aeliievt 
etnvthinn  zL-ort/iy  to  fie   n  n„  w/nrej  -xi//,  fri,ie  ly  remote  ^e  nerationsr~\\  sc  wi.v.-. 


CHICAGO: 

The  s.  j.  Clarke  Publishinti  Company. 

1898. 


im»^ 


"Biography  is  the  only  true  history." 

E.MEHSOX, 


r«*= 


wll>ON.  HfMI'HIlUVS  A    r<l.. 
l.iMiANJSt'iiltT.  IM>. 


■^ 


^jiSiM-.^:^^ 


tfXjMy^'i.'*-*'- 


PREFACB. 


•n 


& 

r 


^^  III-  <4ivatest  of  English  historians,  Macaui.ay.  and  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  writers  of  the  present  century,  has  said  :  "The  history  of  a 
country  is  best  toKl  in  a  record  of  tiie  lives  of  its  people."'  In  con- 
formity with  this  idea,  the  Bioguaimiicai,  Record  has  been  prepared. 
Instead  of  goint;  to  musty  records,  antl  takinji;  therefrom  dry  statistical 
matter  that  can  be  appreciated  by  but  few,  our  corps  of  writers  have 
Lcone  to  the  people,  the  men  and  women  who  have,  b}'  their  enterprise 
and  inilu>try.  brought  these  counties  to  a  rank  second  to  none  among 
those  comprising  this  great  and  noble  State,  and  from  their  lips  have  the  storj-  of  their  life 
struggles.  Xo  more  interesting  or  instructive  matter  could  be  presented  to  an  intelligent 
public.  In  this  volume  will  be  found  a  record  of  many  whose  lives  are  worthy  the  imitation 
of  coming  generations.  It  tells  how  some,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  b\-  industrv  and 
economy  have  accumulated  wealth.  It  tells  how  others,  with  limited  advantages  for  securing 
an  education,  have  become  learned  men  and  women,  with  an  influence  extending  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  It  tells  of  men  who  have  risen  from  the  lower  walks  of 
life  to  eminence  as  statesmen,  and  whose  names  have  become  famous.  It  tells  of  those  in 
every  walk  in  life  who  have  striven  to  succeed,  and  records  how  that  success  has  usuallv 
crowned  their  efforts.  It  tells  also  of  many,  very  many,  who,  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the 
world,  have  pursued  the  '•  even  tenor  of  their  way,'"  content  to  have  it  said  of  them,  as  Christ 
saiil  of  the  woman  performing  a  deed  of  mercy — "They  have  done  what  they  could."'  It 
tells  how  many,  in  the  pride  and  strength  of  young  manhood,  left  the  plow  and  the  anvil,  the 
law3-er"s  ofHce  and  the  counting-room,  left  every  trade  and  profession,  and  at  their  country's 
call  went  forth  valiantly  "  to  do  or  die,'"  and  how  through  their  efforts  the  Union  was 
restored  and  peace  once  more  reigned  in  the  land.  In  the  life  of  everv  man  anil  of  every 
woman  is  a  lesson  that  should  not  be  k)st  upon  those  who  follow  after. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  this  volume  and  preserve  it  as  a  sacred  treasure,  from 
the  fact  that  it  contains  so  much  that  would  never  find  its  way  into  public  records,  and  which 
would  otherwise  be  inaccessible,  (ireat  care  has  been  taken  in  the  compilation  of  the  work, 
and  every  opportunity  possible  given  to  those  represented  to  insure  correctness  in  what  has 
been  written  :  and  the  publishers  Hatter  themselves  that  thev  give  to  their  readers  a  work  with 
few  errors  of  consequence.  In  addition  to  biographical  sketches,  portraits  of  a  number  of 
representative  citizens  are  given. 

The  faces  of  some,  and  biographical  sketches  of  many,  will  be  missed  in  this  volume. 
For  this  the  publishers  are  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a  proper  conception  of  the  work,  some 
relused  to  give  the  information  necessary  to  compile  a  sketch,  while  others  were  indifferent. 
Occasionally  some  member  of  the  family  would  oppose  the  enterprise,  an<i  on  account  of  such 
opposition  the  support  of  the  interested  one  would  be  withheld.  In  a  few  instances  men 
never  could  b:;  found,  though  repeated  calls  were  made  at   their  residence  or  place  of  business. 


November,  lSi)8. 


TllK   S.    1.   Cl.AKKi;    Prill.lSIIlNG  Co. 


967029 


ML' 


^kta^^ddHH 


IIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


GEN.   DANIEL  DUSTIN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


GENERAL  DANIEL  DUSTIX.— Among 
the  nian\-  citizens  of  De  Kalb  county, 
who  have  attained  distinction  in  civil  and 
militarj'  Ufa,  is  the  subject  of  this  meiiioir, 
who  probabl}'  was  personally  known  to  more 
of  the  people  of  the  county  than  any  other 
man  that  ever  resided  within  its  borders, 
and  whose  friends  were  legion.  He  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Topsham,  Orange  coun- 
ty, \ermont,  October  5,  1820,  and  was  the 
son  of  John  Knight  and  Sallie  (Thompson) 
Dustin,  the  former  a  native  of  Atkinson, 
New  Hampshire  born  January  24.  1784, 
and  the  latter  born  in  Newbury,  \'er- 
mont,  Januar}'  15,  1788.  Tlie\'  were  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  eight  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity  and  were  married.  John 
K.  Dustin.  who  was  a  farmer  b}'  occupa- 
tion, died  in  Topsham,  Vermont,  in  August, 
1858.  His  wife  preceded  him  many  \ears, 
dying  December  14,  1829,  also  at  Topsham, 
\'ermont. 

The  Dustin  family  is  of  Scotch  and 
English  descent,  our  subject  tracing  his  an- 
cestry back  to  Thomas  and  Hannah  Dustin, 
of  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  who  were 
married  in  1677.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Hannah  (Webster)  Emerson, 
and  was  born  at  Haverhill,  Massachusetts, 
December  23,  1657.  Hannah  Dustin  was 
the  heroine  of  an  exploit  famous  in  the 
early  annals  of  New  England.  She  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  in  the  attack 


on  Haverhill,  March  15,  1698.  Her  nurse 
and  an  infant  one  \ear  old  were  also  taken, 
but  the  child  was  soon  afterwards  killed. 
She  was  taken  to  an  island  in  the  Merrimac, 
afterwards  known  as  Dustin's  Island,  and 
with  her  were  twelve  Indians.  One  night, 
with  the  aid  of  the  nurse  and  a  white  cap- 
ti\e  boy,  she  killed  all  the  Indians  in  their 
sleep,  e.xcept  a  squaw  and  a  boy  who 
escaped.  She  then  returned  to  Haverhill 
with  their  scalps. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Nathaniel  Dustin,  who  was  born 
September  8,  1756,  and  who  died  March  3, 
1S15.  He  married  Judith  Knight,  who  w-as 
born  May  2,  1756,  and  who  died  June  3, 
1842. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  town  and  countv,  and 
after  attending  the  subscription  schools,  was 
a  student  in  the  famous  old  academy  at 
Newbury.  \'ermont.  After  studying  medi- 
cine at  Topsham  and  Corinth,  he  attended 
three  full  courses  of  medical  lectures  at 
Dartsmouth  College,  Hanover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, at  a  time  when  Oliver  \\'ende]l  Holmes 
was  professor  of  anatom\'.  From  that  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  November  18, 
1846,  and  immediately  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Corinth,  in  his 
native  county.  While  residing  there  he  was 
married  at  Topsham,  Vermont,  in  1846,  to 
Miss  Isabel   Taplin,  a  daughter   of  Colonel 


lO 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Gouldsburn  Taplin,  of  Corinth,  Vermont. 
By  this  union  there  were  three  children. 
Emma  married  William  Myers,  of  Carth- 
age, Missouri.  Electa  married  Walter  Water- 
man, a  grocer  of  Sycamore,  Illinois.  William 
G.  is  editor  of  a  paper  at  Dvvight,  Illinois,  and 
is  also  postmaster  of  that  city.  In  August, 
1850,  a  few  months  after  Dr.  Dustin  left 
\'ermont,  Mrs.  Dustin  died. 

The  discover}'  of  gold  in  California 
caused  great  excitement  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  and  every 
state  in  the  union  sent  its  representatives 
to  the  New  Eldorado.  In  the  spring  of 
1850,  Dr.  Dustin  started  for  the  land  of 
gold,  sailing  from  New  York,  on  the  steam- 
er Georgia,  March  13.  Landing  at  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  a  number  of  slaves 
were  brought  on  board,  which  was  his  first 
glimpse  of  slavery  as  it  then  existed  in 
the  south.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to  him, 
and  the  incident  was  firmly  fixed  in  mem- 
ory, causing  him  afterwards  to  become  a 
thorough  anti-slavery  man.  From  Charles- 
ton he  went  to  Panama,  and  crossing  the 
Isthmus,  reached  San  Francisco  the  mid- 
dle of  June  of  that  year.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  several  partners,  and  they  took 
with  them  a  dredging  machine  to  wash  the 
gold  from  submerged  bars,  but  sold  the 
same  immediately  on  their  arrival  for  a 
large  advance.  After  selling  the  dredger. 
Dr.  Dustin  went  first  to  Benecia,  and  later 
to  Sacramento,  and  in  the  latter  place  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
Going  to  the  mining  regions  at  Hangtown, 
he  engaged  in  mining  for  a  time,  but  finally 
drifted  into  the  French  Corral  in  Nevada 
county,  at  which  place  he  met  the  lady 
who  later  became  his  wife,  and  at  Spring 
Valley,  California,  October  15,  1854,  the 
Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  with   Miss 


Elmira  Pauly,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  Aaron  Pauly,  also  a 
native  of  the  same  state,  whose  father  emi- 
grated from  western  Germany  to  Amer- 
ica in  the  early  part  of  the  century.  Aaron 
Pauly  married  Lydia  Birdsall,  a  native  of 
\\'ilmington,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Zada  (Hinman)  Birdsall.  Elmira  was 
their  only  child.  Her  mother  dying,  her 
father  later  married,  and  in  1849  vvent  to 
California,  and  was  followed  in  1852  by 
his  second  wife  and  family.  Aaron  Pauly 
was  a  merchant  tailor  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
but  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  California.  He  retired  from  busi- 
ness about  1884,  and  died  in  San  Diego, 
California,  in  1890.  By  this  second  union 
Dr.  Dustin  had  one  child,  Zada.  wife  of 
John  C.  Craft,  cashier  of  the  Bankers  Na- 
tional Bank,  Chicago. 

On  locating  in  Nevada  county,  Cali- 
fornia, Dr.  Dustin  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile trade,  and  also  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  his  services  being  more  in  de- 
mand in  cases  of  surgery  than  in  medicine. 
Cuttings  and  shootings  were  quite  frequent, 
while  the  climate  was  remarkably  healthy. 
\\'hile  there  he  gave  some  attention  to  sur- 
face mining  with  fair  success.  He  also 
mingled  in  political  affairs,  and  in  1855-6 
he  was  chosen  to  represent  Nevada  county 
in  the  legislature  of  that  state. 

Having  seen  enough  of  California,  he  de- 
termined to  again  return  east,  but  instead 
of  returning  to  his  own  home,  came  to 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  where  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  J.  E.  and  Chauncey  EUwood, 
in  the  mercantile  business,  continuing  with 
them  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  enlisted  first  in  the  Eighth  Illinois  Cav- 
alry, and  by  Governor  Yates  was  commis- 
sioned captain,  January  3,   1862,  taking  the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1 1 


rank  from  September  i,  iS6i,  and  was  pro- 
moted major  in  1862,  ranking  from  January 
8,  1862.  In  March,  1862,  his  regiment 
joined  in  the  general  advance  on  Manassas, 
in  General  Sumner's  division.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  spring  of  that  year,  at  four  dif- 
ferent times  it  drove  the  enemy  across  the 
Rappahannock.  His  regiment  did  impor- 
tant service  at  Gaines  Hill  and  Malvern 
Hill,  leading  the  advance  on  the  second  oc- 
cupation of  Malvern  Hill,  and  with  Benson's 
Battery,  United  States  Artillery,  bore  the 
brimt  of  the  fight,  and  brought  up  the  rear 
of  our  retreating  forces  at  Barrett's  Ford 
and  at  Chickahominy.  At  the  opening  of 
the  Seven  Days  Fight,  Major  Dustin  was  in 
command  of  a  squadron  of  the  Eighth,  on 
the  extreme  right  of  our  lines,  and  where 
the  rebel  troops  first  encountered  the  Union 
army.  The  first  volley  of  musketry  on  the 
first  day  of  that  memorable  succession  of 
engagements,  was  fired  at  Major  Dustin,  his 
orderly  and  a  captain  of  his  command,  by 
the  advance  guard  of  the  enemy  at  close 
range,  the  captain  being  shot  down  by  the 
Major's  side. 

In  July,  1862,  Major  Dustin  resigned, 
came  home,  and  assisted  in  raising  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment  Illinois  \'ol- 
unteer  Infantr}-,  which  was  mustered  into 
the  service  September  2,  1862,  at  Dixon,  Illi- 
nois. Major  Dustin  received  the  commis- 
sion of  colonel,  October  4,  1862,  ranking 
from  September  i,  1862,  and  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  regiment.  Soon  after 
muster,  the  regiment  joined  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  with  which  it  remained 
throughout  the  war.  In  the  spring  of  1864, 
with  the  One  Hundred  and  Second  and  One 
Htmdred  and  Twenty-ninth  Illinois,  the 
Seventieth  Indiana  and  Seventy-ninth 
Ohio,  the  regiment  formed  the  First   Bri- 


gade, Third  Division  of  the  Twentieth  Army 
Corps.  After  the  Atlanta  campaign,  Colonel 
Dustin  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Sec- 
ond Brigade  of  the  same  division  and  corps, 
and  remained  its  commander  during  the 
war.  He  accompanied  General  Sherman 
in  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  after  the  bat- 
tle of  Averysboro,  North  Carolina,  he  was 
breveted  brigadier-general,  a  promotion 
which  was  well  deserved.  His  commission 
was  received  April  9,  1866,  ranking  from 
March  16,  1865,  and  given  for  gallant  serv- 
ices in  the  campaign  in  Gfeorgia  and  South 
Carolina.  Marching  with  his  brigade  to 
Washington,  he  participated  in  the  grand 
review,  and  June  7,  1865,  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service,  having  made  a  record  of 
which  he  might  well  be  proud.  Returning 
home,  in  the  summer  of  1865,  General 
Dustin  was  nominated  on  the  Republican 
ticket  for  the  office  of  county  clerk,  and  was 
duly  elected  in  November  following,  and 
served  a  term  of  four  years.  He  was  later 
elected  county  treasurer  and  served  a 
term  of  two  years,  and  in  1880  was 
elected  circuit  clerk,  re-elected  in  1884, 
and  again  in  1888.  He  resigned  the  latter 
office  and  b}'  President  Harrison  was  ap- 
pointed. May  2,  1890,  sub-treasurer  of  the 
United  States  treasury  at  Chicago.  In  the 
latter  office  he  served  with  distinguished 
ability  until  his  death  at  Carthage,  Mis- 
souri, March  30,  1892,  while  on  a  visit  to 
his  daughter.  During  the  construction  of 
the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy, 
Illinois,  he  was  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees. 

From  the  organization  of  the  party  un- 
til his  death,  General  Dustin  was  a  consist- 
ent Republican.  In  the  councils  of  his 
party,  his  views  alwaj'S  commanded  re- 
spect, and   his    advice  was  generally  found 


12 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


to  be  correct.  Twice  was  he  the  choice  of 
the  Republicans  of  De  Kalb  county  for 
congress,  but  withdrew  in  favor  of  personal 
friends.  In  the  various  political  campaigns 
he  took  an  active  part,  and  did  veoman 
service  for  his  party.  Fluent  of  speech, 
and  possessing  rare  grace  and  power  of 
oratory,  he  was  a  most  effective  stump 
speaker.  Fraternally,  he  was  a  Mason  of 
high  standing,  having  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree.  In  1872,  he  was  elected 
right  eminent  commander  of  the  grand 
commandery  of  Knight  Templars  of  Illi- 
nois, a  position  which  he  creditablj'  filled. 
He  was  appointed  representative  of  New 
Jersey  in  the  Illinois  grand  lodge.  Relig- 
iousl}',  he  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  body  his  wife  and 
daughters  are  also  members.  As  a  friend 
and  neighbor  he  was  universally  loved  and 
respected,  and  his  death  left  a  void  which 
can  never  be  filled. 


ALBERT  F.  ROWLEY,  photographer, 
has  a  pleasant  suite  of  rooms  at  No. 
245  Main  street,  De  Kalb,  Illinois.  The 
growth  and  development  of  photography 
has  b3en  one  of  the  most  striking  results  of 
the  last  century  of  progress.  A  perfection  of 
results  has  been  obtained,  which  marks  the 
highest  type  of  artistic  development.  In- 
deed there  is  no  branch  of  art  which  has 
made  such  rapid  strides  in  so  short  a  time, 
and  it  is  thought  that  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  landscape  scenes  will  be  pro- 
duced by  means  of  photography  in  their 
natural  colors,  thus  combining  truth,  art 
and  nature.  Photograph}-  is  indeed  one  of 
the  fine  arts,  and  the  successful  photogra- 
pher must  be  an  artist  in  the  true  sense  of 
the  term.      Such  we  find  Mr.  Rowley  to  be. 


He  is  a  young  man  of  progressive  ideas, 
thoroughly  in  love  with  his  art,  and  has  con- 
stantly adopted  the  latest  devices  for  pro- 
ducing superior  work.  A  visit  to  the  studio 
of  Mr.  Rowley  is  a  rare  treat  to  the  lover 
of  true  beauty  in  art.  It  is  ornamented 
with  many  specimens  from  the  camera, 
brush  and  pencil  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowley 
(the  latter  being  an  artist  of  high  merit), 
and  afford  the  best  possible  evidence  of  the 
genius  and  skill  which  is  brought  to  bear  in 
the  management  of  this  establishment. 

Mr.  Rowley  was  born  in  Rochelle,  Ogle 
county,  Illinois,  May  18,  1864,  and  is  the 
son  of  Thomas  and  Susan  Rowley.  His 
father  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  Ogle 
county,  having  resided  there  for  more  than 
forty  years.  He  owns  a  valuable  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres,  and  is  a  well  known  and 
influential  man  in  the  community  where  he 
resides,  having  been  honored  by  his  fellow 
citizens  with  various  local  offices  of  honor 
and  trust.  He  is  a  native  of  Syracuse, 
New  York. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  He  early  evinced  a  taste  for  art, 
and  began  to  practice  photograph}'  as  an 
amateur,  first  at  Aurora.  He  saw  then,  as 
all  young  aspirants  should  see,  "room  at 
the  top"  and  began  preparations  to  fill  it. 
While  residing  in  Aurora,  on  June  i,  1893, 
he  married  Miss  Eva  E.  Shippee,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Silas  H.  and  Ann  Shippee.  Shortly 
after  his  marriage,  he  went  to  Chicago, 
placing  himself  under  the  instruction  of 
Hoyt  &  Gale,  to  perfect  himself  in  his  pro- 
fession. Returning  to  Aurora,  he  remained 
there  a  short  time,  and  in  1896  moved  to 
De  Kalb,  where  he  purchased  the  establish- 
ment and  good  will  of  Mr.  Oleson,  since 
which  time  his  business  has  increased  four- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


13 


fold.  His  establishment  is  supplied  with 
the  most  perfect  apparatus  and  an  admira- 
bly adapted  arrangement  for  securing  the 
proper  light  and  shade,  to  produce  the  de- 
sired results.  His  reception  room  is  spa- 
cious, and  handsomely  and  appropriately 
furnished.  In  addition  to  his  regular  busi- 
ness, he  keeps  a  full  line  of  amateur  sup- 
plies. His  work  consists  of  commercial 
landscapes,  crayon,  new  process  bromide, 
lantern  slides,  stereoscopic  and  colored 
work,  in  fact  everything  in  the  line  of  pho- 
tography. His  wife  ably  assists  him  in  his 
fine  work,  especially  in  retouching,  which  is 
executed  by  what  is  termed  the  retouching 
de\'ice,  worked  by  electricitj'.  Mrs.  Row- 
ley has  many  students  under  her,  who  prac- 
tice with  pencil  and  brush. 


HON.  GEORGE  STEWART  ROBIN- 
SOX  was  for  years  a  well  known  citi- 
zen of  S\'camore,  Illinois,  a  lawjer  of  rec- 
ognized ability,  one  who  enjoyed  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  entire  connn unity.  He 
was  a  native  of  Derby,  Vermont,  born  June 
24.  1S24,  and  was  second  in  the  family  of 
three  sons  born  to  George  and  Harriet 
(Stewart)  Robinson.  His  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  and  the  son  of  Eber 
Robinson,  a  captain  in  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution. His  mother  was  a  native  of  \'er- 
mont  and  a  daughter  of  Rufus  Stewart, 
a  major  in  the  war  of  1812.  George  Rob- 
inson was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  also 
served  his  country  faithfully  iliu'iiig  the  war 
of  1812.  He  died  about  1870,  when  about 
seventy-five  years  old. 

In  his  native  citj',  our  subject  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  later  attended  the  Derby  Acad- 
emy.    When  nineteen  years  old  he  entered 


the  law  office  of  Hon.  S.  B.  Colby,  at  Der- 
by, and  began  his  professional  studies.  After 
reading  under  Mr.  Colby's  instruction  for 
two  years,  he  finished  his  legal  course  with 
Hon.  Lucius  B.  Peck,  of  Montpelier,  one 
of  Vermont's  most  prominent  attorneys, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  native 
state  November  iS,  1846.  On  account  of 
close  application  to  his  studies,  his  health 
failed,  and  with  the  hope  of  its  restoration, 
in  1847,  he  went  south,  where  he  was  oc- 
cupied in  teaching.  In  1853  he  returned  to 
\'ermont,  and  in  his  native  town,  October 
13,  he  married  Olive  A.  Colby,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Derby,  and  a  daughter  of  Nehemiah 
Colby,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Samuel  Col- 
by, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
Hampshire.  Nehemiah  Colby  was  for  many 
years  engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade,  and 
also  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  for 
a  time.  Eor  some  fifteen  years  he  was 
postmaster  of  Derby,  and  was  one  of  its 
best  known  men.  Religiously  he  was  a 
Congregationalist,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the 
Christian  religion.  His  death  occurred  in 
1862,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  be- 
ing preceded  by  his  wife,  Malinda  Larra- 
bee,  born  in  1790,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Larrabee.  She  died  in  1842,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
thirteen  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Robinson 
was  twelfth  in  order  of  birth. 

Immediately  after  their  marriage,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robinson  went  to  Cuthbert, 
Georgia,  and  he  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  that  city,  where  he  resided  during  the 
trj'ing  times  of  the  Civil  war.  For  a  few 
months  during  the  war,  much  against  his 
will,  he  was  compelled  to  serve  in  the 
Georgia  State  Militia.  Being  a  well  known 
Union  man,  he  suffered  many  inconven- 
iences,   and    his    practice    was   completely 


14 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


broken  up.  Having  a  cousin  residing  in 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  by  his  invitation,  he 
came  to  this  place  in  1866,  and  soon  after- 
ward became  associated  with  Hon.  Charles 
Kellum,  a  partnership  which  continued  for 
four  years.  He  then  continued  alone  until  his 
election  as  county  judge  in  1877,  a  position 
which  he  continued  to  hold  until  1882,  when 
he  resigned  to  attend  to  private  business  in 
Vermont. 

For  several  years  prior  to  his  election  as 
judge  of  the  county  court,  he  held  the  posi- 
tion of  master  in  chancery,  which  position 
he  resigned  soon  after  his  election.  \\'hen 
Sycamore  was  organized  as  a  city,  he  was 
elected  alderman  and  served  two  terms.  He 
was  also  cit}'  attorney,  and  drafted  the  ordi- 
nances under  which  the  city  was  governed 
for  years,  many  of  which  are  still  in  force. 
In  1869,  he  was  appointed  on  the  board  of 
state  commissioners  of  public  charities  for 
the  state  of  Illinois,  by  Governor  John  M. 
Palmer,  was  re-appointed  by  Governor  John 
L.  Beveridge,  in  1874,  and  again  by  Gover- 
nor Shelby  M.  Culloni,  in  1879.  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  board  until  March, 
1884,  when  he  resigned,  being  unable  to 
attend  to  the  duties  of  the  position  by  reason 
of  absence  from  the  state  on  business  de- 
manding his  entire  time.  For  nearly  fifteen 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board,  and 
was  its  president  for  nine  years,  devoting 
from  two  to  three  months  of  his  time  each 
year  to  its  work,  spending  much  more  than 
he  received  for  his  services. 

To  Judge  and  Mrs.  Robinson  three  chil- 
dren were  born:  Harriet  M.,  Lucius  P.  and 
Nellie  C. ,  the  second  named  dying  in  In- 
fancy. Harriet  M. ,  who  was  born  in  Georgia, 
married  C.  L.  Buchan,  of  Rockford,  111.,  and 
they  have  one  son,  George  Buchan  Robin- 
son, the  son    having  been   adopted  by  the 


Judge  to  bear  his  name.  He  is  now  at  the 
Morgan  Park  Academy,  a  preparatory  school 
for  the  Chicago  University.  Nellie  C.  mar- 
ried James  B.  Ellwood,  and  died  in  1892, 
and  was  soon  followed  by  her  only  child,  a 
daughter,  Muriel  Olive. 

Judge  Robinson  was  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability,  was  well  read  in  the  law, 
and  withal  was  endowed  with  good  com- 
mon sense.  As  judge  of  the  county  and 
probate  courts  no  man  ever  filled  the  posi- 
tion in  a  more  satisfactory  manner.  His 
popularity  with  the  bar  and  the  people  was 
always  maintained,  and  he  was  always  con- 
sidered an  able  lawyer,  and  a  safe  counsel- 
lor. As  a  member  of  the  s-tate  board  of 
public  charities,  he  made  a  state  reputation 
and  notwithstanding  he  received  no  compen- 
sation, he  devoted  his  time  just  as  faithfully 
and  as  energetically  as  though  he  was  re- 
ceiving a  handsome  salary.  He  was  always 
interested  in  educational  affairs,  and  gave 
much  of  his  time  to  advance  the  interests  of 
the  school,  being  president  of  the  school 
board  at  the  time  of  his  death.  I'rater- 
nall}',  he  was  a  Mason,  holding  membership 
in  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  command- 
erj'.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  qualities 
of  head  and  heart,  and  his  friends  were 
numerous,  not  only  throughout  De  Kalb 
county,  but  the  entire  state.  His  death, 
which  occurred  October  30,  1894,  left  a  void 
which  could  not  well  be  filled. 


EDWIN  GILSON,  deceased,  was  well- 
known  throughout  DeKalb  county,  as  a 
man  of  upright  character,  one  whom  to  know 
was  to  love.  He  was  born  in  Westminster, 
\'ermont,  December  27,  181  i,  and  was  the 
son  of  Michael  Gilson,  who  was  also  born  in 
Westminster,    in    1782,    and    who    died   in 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


15 


1852.  His  father,  Zackariah  Gilson,  was 
born  in  1736,  and  died  in  1804.  He  mar- 
ried Hannah  Patch,  who  died  in  1826,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Zackariah 
moved  from  Massachusetts,  in  an  early  day, 
and  built  a  house  in  which  three  generations 
were  born.  Michael  Gilson  married  Eunice 
Haywood,  born  in  1783,  and  died  in  1838. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Deacon  David 
Haywood,  who  was  a  descendant  of  John 
Haywood,  who  was  born  in  Concord,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  1633,  and  who  attained  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His"  son,  Deacon 
John  Haywood,  was  born  in  the  same  place 
in  1662,  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years. 
He  was  the  father  of  Samuel  Haywood,  born 
in  Concord,  in  1687,  and  who  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years.  Charles,  the  son 
of  Samuel,  was  born  inWinchendon  in  1723, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He 
was  the  father  of  Deacon  David,  who  \\as 
born  in  1755,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years.  The  latter  married  in  1780,  Abi- 
gail Bixby,  whose  mother,  Jerusha  Hough- 
ton, was  of  an  old  English  family.  Abigail 
died  at  Weathersfield,  Massachusetts,  in 
1S24.  Deacon  David  Haywood  enlisted  at 
Holden,  Vermont,  in  1777,  and  served  two 
years  in  the  revolutionary  army,  being  at 
one  time  stationed  at  West  Point.  To 
Deacon  David  Haywood  and  wife,  a  daugh- 
ter, Eunice,  was  born  in  1783.  She  mar- 
ried Michael  Gilson,  and  bore  him  five  sons: 
Michael,  Jr.,  Solon,  Edwin,  Ira  and  Charles. 
The  latter  for  many  years  was  professor  of 
modern  languages  in  Williams  college. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm,  and  in  his  boyhood  attended 
the  common  schools.  He  early  assumed 
charge  of  the  farm,  and  consequently  his 
school  life  was  limited.  He  was  self-edu- 
cated  in  later  life,  having  mastered  algebra 


alone,  and  studied  astronomy,  knowing  all 
the  principal  constellations  and  stars  by 
name.  He  was  a  omniverous  reader,  with 
mind  clear  to  the  end  of  life,  hand  steady 
and  writing  clear,  regular  and  distinct  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years. 

He  was  married  in  Putney,  Vermont, 
May  20,  1845,  to  Miss  Fanny  Evans,  born 
in  Athens,  Vermont,  October  i,  18 16,  and 
who  is  yet  living,  and  making  her  home 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Shurtleff. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Roswell  Evans,  who 
married  Jerusha  Chaffee.  By  this  union 
three  children  were  born.  Solon  died  in 
infancy.  Carrie  died  unmarried  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years.  Mary  G. ,  who  was 
born  at  Westminster,  \'ermont,  in  the  Con- 
necticut valley,  in  the  house  where  her 
father  and  grandfather  were  born,  received 
a  good  education  and  inherited  her  father's 
bright  mind.  As  successful  teacher,  she 
found  her  father  a  great  help  in  school  work 
and  always  went  to  him  wiih  difficult  prob- 
lems. A  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  she  is  active  in  church  work, 
being  a  willing  worker  in  the  cause  of  her 
master.  She  was  married  June  4,  1885,  to 
Ephraim  Shurtleff,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  old  pioneer  families   of  DeKalb  county. 

In  the  fall  of  1855,  ^I^.  Gilson  visited  a 
brother  in  Wisconsin,  and  after  looking  over 
a  portion  of  that  state  and  also  a  portion  of 
northern  Illinois,  he  decided  to  settle  in 
DeKalb  county.  Purchasing  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Cortland,  in 
Cortland  township,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1856,  brought  his  family  from  Vermont  and 
at  once  engaged  in  farming.  He  became  a 
well  known  and  influential  man  in  the  town- 
ship, and  for  several  years  served  as  super- 
visor from  the  township  and  also  as  asses- 
sor,     He  lived  on  the  farm  until  1867,  vyhen 


i6 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


he  removed  to  Sycamore,  where  he  pur- 
chased eight  acres  north  of  the  city,  which 
he  cultivated  in  order  that  he  might  have 
something  to  keep  him  busy.  He  w^s  for 
sixt3--five  years  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  was  very  active  in 
church  work,  being  for  years  chairman  of 
its  official  board.  He  attended  all  meetings 
of  the  church,  and  was  a  liberal  giver  in  its 
support.  He  was  never  sick  in  his  life, 
never  seemed  old  but  always  young  in  heart 
and  mind — a  man  that  everybody  respected 
and  loved.      He  passed  away  April  21,  1891. 


HON.  CHARLES  KELLUM,  late  judge 
of  the  twelfth  judicial  circuit,  now  the 
sixteenth  circuit,  had  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  best  judges  that  ever  occupied 
the  bench  in  the  stale,  a  state  that  has 
always  been  distinguished  for  the  high  rank 
of  her  bench  and  bar.  In  him  were  found 
united  many  of  the  rare  qualities  which  go 
to  make,  up  the  successful  lawyer  and  jurist. 
He  was  born  March  16,  1821,  in  Susque- 
hanna county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  the  son 
of  Samuel  and  Lucretia  (Eldridge)  Kellum, 
the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in 
New  London  county,  October  19,  1783,  and 
the  latter  in  the  same  county,  November 
27,  1786.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
James  Eldridge,  and  the  maternal  grand- 
mother, Sarah  (Newton)  Eldridge,  were 
also  born  in  the  same  county.  The  former 
was  born  November  16,  1753,  and  died 
August  2,  1841.  The  latter  was  born  De- 
cember 17,  1757,  and  died  August  6,  1824. 
Samuel  Kellum,  the  father,  was  a  son  of 
Samuel  Kellum,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, who  served  as  captain  in  the  militia, 
and  was  otherwise  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  state.      The  father  was  also  a  prom- 


inent man  in  the  state,  and  likewise  served 
as  captain  in  the  militia.  He  was  a  Mason 
of  high  standing  in  the  order,  and  the  Judge 
treasures  among  his  possessions  a  notice 
sent  his  father  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy: 

"Companion  Samuel  Kellum: 

"You  are  requested  to  atten  1  the  duties 
of  Franklin  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
at  Newcome  Kunys,  their  chamber  of  con- 
vocation, in  the  city  of  Norwich,  on  Wednes- 
day next,  at  five  o'clock  P.  M.,  on  special 
business. 

"Norwich,   ist  March,  A.  D.  1809. 

"Joseph  Powers,  Sec'y  F.   C. 

"By  order  of  the  M.  E.  H.  P." 

By  occupation  Samuel  Kellum,  the  fa- 
ther, was  a  farmer,  which  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed during  his  entire  residence  in  the 
state.  Politically  he  was  a  Whig,  having 
an  abiding  faith  in  the  principles  of  that 
party.  With  it  he  continued  to  act  until 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party 
when,  on  account  of  its  liberty  loving  prin- 
ciples, he  gave  adhesion  to  it,  and  continued 
to  act  with  it  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
In  1866,  he  came  west  and  made  his  home 
with  the  Judge,  where  his  death  occurred 
January  2,  1869.  His  wife,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  London  county,  Connecticut, 
survived  him  ten  years,  dying  at  Prophets- 
town,  Illinois,  January  2,  1879.  Samuel 
Kellum  was  a  large,  athletic  man,  over  six 
feet  in  height,  and  stronglj'  built.  He  was 
over  eighty-five  years  old  when  his  death 
occurred,  while  his  wife  was  over  ninety- 
two  years  old  svhen  she  departed  this  life. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Samuel,  Elizabeth,  Isaac  S.,  Ann  E.,  Hen- 
ry F. ,  Charles  and  William  C.  AH  are  de- 
ceased but  our  subject. 


HON.   CHARLES   KELLUM. 


LIBRARY 
Of  THE 

L'\'Iv:rsity  of  Illinois 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


19 


Charles  Kellum,  our  subject,  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  district  school, 
and  was  then  sent  to  Mannington  academ}' 
and  boarding  school,  in  Susquehanna  coun- 
ty, where  he  passed  through  all  the  courses. 
He  then  began  the  study  of  law  at  Mont- 
rose, Pennsylvania,  in  the  office  of  Lusk  & 
Little,  where  he  read  law  about  two  and  a 
half  years,  and  in  1844  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  With  his  preceptors  he  remained 
two  years  on  a  salary,  and  then  went  home 
to  his  father's  farm  in  Bradford  county,  and 
gave  his  time  to  outdoor  pursuits  in  order 
that  he  might  recover  his  health,  which  had 
been  impaired  by  close  study  and  work  for 
more  than  four  years.  After  the  recovery 
of  his  health,  he  went  to  Towanda,  Brad- 
ford county,  where  he  opened  an  office,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  continued  there  in  practice  about  four 
years;  during  a  year  and  a  half  he  was  in 
partnership  with  the  late  Judge  Henry 
Booth. 

In  1S54,  Mr.  Kellum  started  for  the 
great  west,  coming  on  the  Erie  railroad  to 
LaPorte,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  about 
one  year  with  his  brother,  Isaac  S.  Kellum. 
who  was  engaged  in  the  banking  business  at 
that  place.  While  there  he  assisted  his 
brother  in  the  office,  and  got  an  insight  into 
the  banking  business.  Leaving  LaPorte,  he 
came  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  arriving  March 
17,  1855,  when  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  William  Fordham,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Fordham  &  Kellum,  which  lasted  one 
year.  He  was  then  alone  for  a  time,  after 
which  at  different  times  he  had  various  part- 
ners, the  firms  being  I\ellum  &  Webster, 
Kellum  &  Robinson,  Mayo,  Kellum  &  Chase, 
Kellum  &  Cames,  Kellum  &  Stephens  and 
Kellum  &  Balliet.  In  1S79  he  received  the 
nomination    from   the   Republican     judicial 


convention  for  judge  of  the  twelfth  circuit, 
and  was  duly  elected.  The  circuit  at  that 
time  embraced  DeKalb,  Boone,  McHenry, 
Lake,  Kane,  DuPage  and  Kendall  counties. 
He  was  re-elected  in  1885,  and  again  in 
1891,  serving  until  1897,  when  he  retired 
from  the  bench.  His  eighteen  years  on  the 
bench  was  one  of  arduous  labor.  He  is 
now  engaged  only  as  counselor,  and  does 
not  try  cases  in  court. 

Judge  Kellum  was  married  March  15, 
1855,  at  LaPorte,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Chloe 
Clement,  a  native  of  LaPorte,  Indiana,  and 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Caroline  (Reed) 
Clement,  both  of  whom  were  from  Erie, 
Pennsylvania.  By  this  union  two  children 
were  born.  The  eldest,  William  C,  was 
born  in  Sycamore,  December  14,  1855,  and 
was  educated  at  Todd's  school,  at  Wood- 
stock, Illinois.  He  studied  law  in  his 
father's  office  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1878,  and  at  once  commenced  practice. 
He  is  a  good  attorney,  and  is  worthy  to 
wear  the  mantle  of  his  .distinguished  sire. 
He  married  Laura  McKinnon,  by  whom  he 
lias  one  child,  Charles  S.  The  Judge's 
second  son,  Samuel,  was  born  December  22, 
1857,  is  married  and  has  one  child,  Charles. 
He  is  in  business  in  Chicago,  where  he  has 
made  many  friends.  Mrs.  Kellum  departed 
this  life,  January  24,  1898,  deeply  mourned 
by  all  who  knew  her,  being  a  woman  who 
won  the  hearts  of  all. 

From  1868  to  1872  Mr.  Kellum  was 
state's  attorney  for  the  then  thirteenth  cir- 
cuit, during  which  time  he  had  the  prosecu- 
tion of  several  murder  cases.  As  an  advo- 
cate he  was  quite  strong,  always  holding  the 
attention  of  the  jury  and  the  respect  of  the 
court.  During  his  long  service  on  the 
bench,  he  was  always  regarded  as  a  fair,  im- 
partial and  able  judge.      He  had  the  faculty 


20 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  establishing  precedents  when  there  were 
none,  and  his  rulings  were  generally  sus- 
tained b)-  the  higher  courts.  After  a  con- 
tinuous service  of  eighteen  years  upon  the 
bench,  he  voluntarily  retired,  on  account  of 
approaching  old  age,  and  by  the  bar  was 
presented  with  a  set  of  resolutions  of  respect 
and  a  gold-headed  cane,  as  a  mark  of  re- 
spect and  appreciation.  His  decisions  were 
always  made  upon  the  basis  of  equality  and 
justice,  and  were  marked  by  the  large 
amount  of  common  sense  with  which  nature 
and  ripe  experience  so  liberally  endowed 
hi  111. 

Judge  Kellum  is  a  Mason,  and  has  at- 
tained the  rank  of  Knight  Templar.  Polit- 
icall}'  he  is  a  Republican,  and  although 
never  a  partisan,  he  has  served  his  party  as 
a  delegate  to  various  state  conventions.  It 
is,  howe\'er,  as  a  lawyer  and  a  judge  that  he 
will  always  be  remembered.  In  the  midst 
of  friends,  who  hold  him  in  the  highest  re- 
gard, he  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  that 
come  to  a  noble  and  well  spent  life.  • 


ADOLPH  LEIFHEIT,  who  resides  on 
section  18,  Squaw  Grove  township,  is 
a  representative  of  that  class  of  German- 
American  citizens  who  have  been  instru- 
ment:! in  developing  the  waste  places 
ofthisland,  and  who, by  their  industrious  and 
thrifty  habits,  usually  place  themselves  in 
comfortable  circumstances,  that  their  last 
days  may  be  spent  in  ease  and  comfort.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
acres,  lying  three  miles  west  of  Hinckley, 
which  he  has  under  the  highest  state  of  cul- 
tivation. He  was  born  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides  July  24,  1857,  and  is  the  son 
of  William    Leifheit,  a    native  of  Germany, 


born  in  182 1,  and  who  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  country,  and  there  married  Caro- 
line Eckhart,  also  a  native  of  Germany. 
Together  they  emigrated  to  the  New  World 
about  1845,  and  first  located  in  Kendallcoun- 
t}',  where  he  went  to  work  on  a  farm  by  the 
month.  Later  he  rented  land  in  Kendall 
county,  and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself. 
After  residing  in  Kendall  county  for  a  few 
years,  he  moved  to  De  Kalb  county,  and 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Squaw  Grove  township,  which  comprises  a 
part  of  the  present  farm  of  our  subject.  On 
locating  here  he  built  a  small  frame  house, 
and  began  the  improvement  of  the  ]ilace. 
Later  he  purchased  more  land,  and  finally 
was  the  owner  of  eight  eighty-acre  tracts, 
or  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  all,  and 
which  all  lay  in  one  body.  Year  by  year  the 
improvements  went  on,  now  a  barn,  then 
some  other  outbuilding,  then  the  tiling  of 
the  land,  until  it  resulted  in  one  of  the  most 
productive  fariis  in  the  entire  county.  He 
was  a  very  successful  farmer,  and  actively 
engaged  in  that  vocation  until  about  1884, 
when  he  rented  the  place  and  has  since  lived 
a  retired  life.  He  is  now  seventy- seven 
years  old,  and  a  well-preseived  man.  His 
wife  died  about  1892.  They  were  the  pa- 
rents of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  grew 
to  mature  years,  while  nine  are  yet  living, 
three  daughters  and  six  sons. 

Adolph  Leifheit  was  fifth  in  order  of 
birth,  and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Squaw  Grove  township.  He  remained  with 
his  father  until  he  attained  his  majority 
and  render  faithful  assistance  in  the  improve- 
ment of  the  place.  He  was  married  in  De- 
Kalb  county-,  March  14,  1881,  to  Miss 
Louisa  Granart,  a  native  of  the  county  and 
a   daughter  of   Ferdinand    Granart,  a  sub- 


I 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


21 


stantial  farmer  of  Squaw  Grove  township, 
and  who  was  originally  from  Germany. 
After  his  marriage  he  rented  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  his  father's  farm,  which 
he  operated  for  five  years,  and  then  returned 
to  the  old  home,  which  he  rented  for  a  pe- 
riod of  eight  years.  In  1894  he  bought  a 
part  oi  the  old  farm,  comprising  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  since  that 
time  has  made  many  improvements  upon 
the  place,  remodeling  the  old  house  and 
erecting  a  new  and  large  barn.  In  addition 
to  general  farming,,  he  is  engaged  in  dealing 
and  breeding  in  Short-horned  cattle  and 
Poland  China  hogs.  In  all  his  operations 
he  has  met  with  success,  and  is  now  num- 
bered among  the  most  substantial  farmers 
of  De  Kalb  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leifheit  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living — 
Ella,  Hattie,  William  and  Irvin,  all  of  whom 
yet  remain  at  home.  Mr.  Leifheit  is  a  life- 
long Republican,  and  while  he  gives  the 
party  his  support,  he  asks  no  favors  in  the 
way  of  local  office,  but  gives  his  undivided 
attention  to  his  farming  interests.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran church.  A  life-long  resident  of  the 
county,  he  has  an  extensive  acquaintance 
and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  those 
who  know  him. 


THOMAS  HOLLAND,  the  present  sup- 
ervisor and  a  substantial  farmer  of 
Cortland  township,  is  well  known  to  the 
great  majority  of  citizens  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. He  was  born  in  Richfield  township, 
Fairfield  county.  Connecticut,  April  28, 
1845,  and  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Grace 
(Keeler)  Holland,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  the  latter  of  Fairfield  county. 


Connecticut.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children — Ellen,  Thomas,  George,  Nathan 
G.  and  Jane  E.  The  first  and  last  named 
are  deceased. 

Robert  Holland,  the  father,  was  born  in 
Fermanagh,  Ireland,  March  26,  1815,  and 
was  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Ellen  (Graham) 
Holland,  also  natives  of  Ireland,  and  who 
passed  all  their  lives  in  that  land.  In  May, 
1839,  Robert  Holland  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York,  and  spending 
the  first  three  months  after  his  arrival  at 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  where  he  found 
employment  in  a  brick  yard.  He  was  next 
employed  by  a  hotel  keeper  in  Dutches 
county.  New  York,  with  whom  he  remained 
about  one  year,  then  went  to  the  town  of 
Richfield,  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut, 
where  on  the  28th  of  June,  1843,  he  mar- 
ried Grace  Keeler,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
S.  and  Emily  (Gilbert)  ICeeler.  After  re- 
maining in  Fairfield  county  about  fourteen 
years,  in  1854  he  came  west  and  located  in 
Kaneville  township,  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  some  ten  years,  and 
then  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Cortland  township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  nine 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Illinois,  and  about  twenty  years  old  when 
they  located  in  De  Kalb  county.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  count}',  and  also  in  the  public 
schools  of  Kaneville  township,  Ivane  coun- 
t}',  Illinois.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed 
on  the  farm,  and  he  was  required  to  do  his 
full  share  of  farm  labor  from  his  boyhood 
up.  On  the  i  i  th  of  October,  1870,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Fanny  A. 
Hopkins,  a  native  of  Cortland  township, 
and  a  daughter  of  Cyrus  B.  Hopkins,  and 
a  sister  of  Hon.  Albert  J.  Hopkins,  at  pres- 


22 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ent  representing  the  eighth  Illinois  district 
in  congress.  By  this  union  there  has  been 
five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  living  are  Flo}d  J.,  Ellen  M.  and  Fan- 
nie M. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holland  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, with  which  party  he  has  been 
connected  since  attaining  his  majority.  For 
nine  years  in  succession  he  has  served  as 
supervisor  of  Cortland  township,  and  is  yet 
serving  in  the  same  capacity.  That  he  has 
served  his  township  faithfully  and  well,  is 
attested  by  his  re-election  from  time  to 
time.  He  has  also  served  as  school  direc- 
tor, school  trustee,  and  in  other  minor 
township  offices.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  has  served  his  party  as  a  member  of  the 
county  central  committee,  and  as  such  has 
wielded  considerable  influence  in  that  body. 
Religioufly  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is 
the  owner  of  cighty-si.\  acres  of  hifjlil}'  im- 
proved land,  and  no  man  in  Cortland  town- 
ship holds  the  regard  of  the  people  in  a  high- 
er degree. 


m; 


p.  .WDERSON,  one  of  the  proprie- 
ors  of  the  De  Kalb  Tea  and  Coffee 
Company,  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  in 
1864.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land.  In  1882,  when 
but  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  first  located  in  McKean 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained 
about  fi\e  years,  engaged  in  lumbering  and 
where  he  had  his  first  experience  of  Ameri- 
ca's primeval  forests.  In  1887  he  went  to 
Montana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
same  business,  and  where  he  remained  four 
years.  From  there  he  came  to  Illinois,  and 
located   at   Rockford,  which   was  his  home 


until  1895,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  the 
city  of  De  Kalb. 

In  1890  Mr.  Anderson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Ida  C.  Svvanson,  a  na- 
tive of  Sweden.  By  this  union  are  four 
children,  Mamie,  Ada,  Adla  and  Ruth. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  are  members 
of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church,  and  are 
actively  interested  in  the  work  of  that  body. 

When  Mr.  Anderson,  with  his  partner, 
S.  Carlson,  first  began  business,  their  stock 
was  confined  to  tea  and  coffee.  Their  trade 
grew  to  such  proportions  in  a  very  short 
time  as  to  necessitate  a  larger  store  room. 
This  was  obtained  by  moving  farther  east 
into  their  present  commodious  store  build- 
ing, situated  on  Main  street,  between  Si.\th 
and  Seventh,  and  which  ranks  second  to 
none  in  tliat  section  of  the  city.  Since  re- 
moving into  their  new  quarters,  they  have 
not  only  enlarged  their  stock,  but  put  in  a 
greater  variety,  inchuiing  many  of  the  lux- 
uries and  delicacies,  their  stock  \arying  and 
changing  with  the  season.  A  splendid 
showing  is  made  in  choice  teas  and  coffees, 
of  which  thev  keep  a  superior  quality.  They 
are  both  good  business  men  and  have  the 
confidence  of  the  community  in  which  they 
reside. 


CAPT.  ANTHONY  RAMER,  of  Hinch- 
ley,  Illinois,  is  a  well  known  citizen  of 
De  Kalb  county,  one  who  has  resided  here 
since  1846.  He  is  a  native  of  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  born  March  17,  1842,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  L.  and  Susanna  (Troup) 
Ramer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  former 
born  August  8,  1804,  and  the  latter  Novem- 
ber 2,  1808.  In  1833.  they  emigrated  to 
Ohio,  and  settled  in  Richland  county,  where 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


they  remained  until  1846.  In  that  year 
they  came  to  Illinois,  and  first  settled  in  Du 
Page  county,  where  he  rented  a  farm  and 
there  remained  until  1849.  when  he  came 
to  De  Kalb  county,  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  section 
27,  Pierce  township.  He  built  a  frame 
house  upon  it,  for  which  he  drew  the  lumber 
from  Du  Page  county.  On  that  farm  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, dying  in  April, 
1 88 1.  His  first  wife  died  in  January  9, 
1877,  and  he  later  married  Catherine  Smith, 
who  lived  but  five  months  after  their  mar- 
riage. When  he  first  located  in  Pierce 
tovvnship,  his  nearest  neighbor  was  four 
miles  away  and  there  were  but  two  or  three 
residents  in  Pierce  township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Pierce  township,  and  had  very 
limited  educational  advantages  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  pioneer  days.  On  the  15th 
of  January,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  Seventeenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  his  regi- 
ment being  assigned  to  the  Western  De- 
partment, joining  the  army  at  St.  Louis. 
He  participated  in  a  great  man)'  skirmishes, 
and  was  in  the  fight  at  Wilson  Creek, where 
the  Union  army  captured  General  Marma- 
duke,  and  seven  thousand  prisoners.  He 
was  later  in  the  engagement  near  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas,  and  for  a  time  his  regiment 
was  in  active  pursuit  of  the  noted  guerrilla 
Quantrell.  At  Black  River,  Arkansas,  he 
was  injured  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse, 
having  two  ribs  broken,  shoulder  dislocated 
and  hips  fractured,  being  permanentl}-  dis- 
abled. Some  time  later  he  was  sent  to  Fort 
Leavenworth,  and  had  his  injuries  dressed, 
and  later  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri.  He  was  not  discharged, 
however,  until  the  fall  of  1865,  long  after 
the  close  of  the  war.    Enlisting  as  a  private, 


he  was  promoted  quartermaster  of  his  regi- 
ment, and  being  made  drilling  master,  he 
was  given  the  honorary  title  of  Captain. 

On  receiving  his  discharge.  Captain 
Ramer  returned  home,  went  back  on  the 
farm  and  assisted  his  father  eight  years. 
He  was  married  in  Pierce  tovvnship,  Janu- 
ary 15,  1875,  to  Miss  Lucinda  Jane 
Shoop,  a  native  of  Pierce  township  and 
a  daughter  of  Solomon  Shoop,  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  township. 
After  marriage,  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  in  Pierce  township,  a  place  which  was 
fairly  well  improved  and  began  life  for  him- 
self. He  remained  on  that  place  for  twenty- 
five  years,  then  sold  and  purchased  the 
place  where  he  now  resides,  near  Hincklej'. 
His  farm  now  comprises  ninety-seven  acres, 
the  improvements  on  which  are  of  a  most 
substantial  character.  The  Captain  still 
suffers  from  the  injuries  received  in  the 
service,  but  notwithstanding  gives  personal 
attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  farm.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ramer  have  one  daughter,  Alta,  a 
young  lady  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Ramer  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  has  voted  that  party  ticket 
since  1864,  when  he  cast  his  first  presiden- 
tial ballot  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  For  two 
years  he  served  as  collector  in  Pierce  town- 
ship, constable  five  years  and  road  commis- 
sioner three  years.  He  has  ever  been  a 
friend  of  education  and  the  public  schools, 
and  for  fourteen  years  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  Since  residing  in 
Hinckley,  he  was  elected  and  served  as 
township  collector  of  Squaw  Grove  town- 
ship for  one  year.  For  years  he  has  served 
as  a  delegate  to  the  various  county  and  con- 
gressional conventions  of  his  party,  and 
usually  in  each  campaign  he  organizes  a 
campaign     marching    club,    from    sixty     to 


24 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


eighty  strong.  The  club  usually  attends 
all  political  gatherings  within  a  reasonable 
distance.  At  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone 
at  De  Kalb  for  the  normal  school  building, 
he  was  appointed  and  served  as  marshal  of 
the  day.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Aurora  Post,  No.  20,  G.  A.  R.  Few  men 
are  better  known  and  none  more  highly  re- 
spected. 


HO.  CARY,  superintendent  of  the  barb 
wire,  staple  and  field  fence  depart- 
ment of  the  American  Steel  Wire  Com- 
pany, De  Kalb,  Illinois,  was  born  in  W'ind- 
ham,  Connecticut,  March  6,  1850,  and  is 
the  son  of  Horace  H.  and  Cornelia  E. 
(Brown)  Cary,  both  of  whom  vs'ere  also  na- 
tives of  Connecticut.  Horace  H.  Cary  was 
born  in  Scotland,  Connecticut,  August  5, 
1819.  By  occupation  he  was  a  contractor 
and  builder,  and  was  a  fearless  abolitionist, 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  a  patriotic  citi- 
zen. He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
William  Henry  Harrison,  and  his  last  one 
for  the  grandson,  Benjamin  Harrison.  His 
famih'  consisted  of  eight  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  six  of  whom 
are  now  living.  Edgar  A.  is  a  grocer  in 
Joliet,  Illinois.  Frederick  A.  is  a  farmer 
residing  near  Joliet.  Frank  L.  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  B,  Third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  engaged  in  the  war  with  Spain. 
Dwight  P.  is  in  the  office  of  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Illinois  Steel  Company  at 
Joliet.  Oscar  E.  is  engaged  in  farming 
near  Joliet.  One  daughter  is  now  engaged 
in  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Chi- 
cago. 

Horace  H.  Cary  was  the  son  of  Capt. 
William  Cary,  born  in  Scotland,  Connecti- 
cut,   December  10,   1782,    and    who    fought 


for  his  country  in  the  war  of  18 12.  He 
was  a  farmer  of  influence  and  prominence, 
but  in  early  life  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  carried  on  in  connection 
with  farming.  Captain  William  was  the 
son  of  William  Cary,  born  in  Scotland, 
Connecticut,  October  25,  1747.  He  was 
the  son  of  Deacon  John  Cary,  born  in 
Scotland,  Connecticut,  April  12,  1717. 
Deacon  John  was  the  son  of  John  Cary, 
born  June  23,  1695.  John  was  the  son  of 
Deacon  Joseph  Cary,  born  in  Bridgewater, 
Connecticut,  in  1663.  He  was  a  prominent 
man  in  Bridgewater,  and  a  member  of  the 
First  Congregational  church  in  Windham, 
Connecticut.  He  owned  one  thousand 
acres  of  land,  which  he  purchased  from  the 
British  government  for  ten  pounds  and  nine 
shillings.  He  was  buried  by  his  townsmen 
under  arms,  a  very  unusual  occurrence  in 
those  days.  Deacon  Joseph  was  a  son  of 
John  Cary,  who  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  the  progenitor  of  the  Carys  in  this 
country.  He  came  from  Somersetshire, 
near  Bristol,  England,  in  1634,  and  joined 
the  Plymouth  colony  in  New  England. 
Their  coat  of  arms  had  on  it  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  \'irtute  excerpta." 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  at  Dover,  Bureau  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  after  he  received  his  education  he 
taught  school  for  some  time,  and  also  as- 
sisted his  father  in  his  building  and  con- 
tracting. In  1873,  he  removed  from  Do- 
ver to  Joliet,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  paints  and  oils,  which 
business  he  followed  until  1886,  when  his 
health  failed,  which  necessitated  his  selling 
the  plant.  He  subsequently  went  to  Flor- 
ida to  regain  his  impaired  health,  which  in 
a  measure  he  did.  It  was  at  this  time 
(1886)   that    I.    L.    Ellwood    recognized    in 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


!S 


him  one  who  would  be  an  important  at- 
tache to  his  extensive  works  at  De  Kalb. 
Mr.  Cary  was  therefore  du!}-  authorized  to 
taice  charge  of  the  paint  department  of  the 
I.  L.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  he  did  with  successful  results.  He 
was  soon  afterwards  removed  to  the  office, 
and  finalh'  given  entire  charge  of  the  plant 
as  superintendent. 

Mr.  Cary  was  united  in  marriage  Octo- 
ber 24,  1871,  with  Miss  Anna  E.  Knight, 
who  was  born  near  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  iS,  1S52,  and  a  daughter  of 
Clavton  E.  and  Lydia  E.  Knight.  By  this 
union  five  children  have  been  born:  Charles 
M.,  August  25,  1872;  Herbert  L. ,  June  18, 
1876;  Ralph  H.,  August,  1882;  George  B., 
October,  1884;  and  Mabel,  August,  1887. 

Mr.  Car}'  is  well  born,  descending  from 
one  of  the  best  families  in  England,  and  is 
a  refined  gentleman  in  the  full  acceptation 
of  the  term.  His  maternal  grandfather 
Brown  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812. 
His  great-grandfather  and  five  of  the  broth- 
ers of  the  latter  were  brave  and  valiant 
soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr. 
Cary  has  in  his  possession  a  table  which 
his  great -great-grandfather  built  in  his 
younger  days,  prior  to  the  Revolution. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cary  are  members  of 
the  Baptist  church.  Socially  they  are  well 
esteemed  wherever  known,  and  have  many 
warm  friends  in  Bureau,  Will  and  De  Kalb 
counties. 


ROBERT  NEWITT,  who  for  many  years 
was  an  active  business  man  in  De  Kalb, 
Illinois,  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  He 
was  born  in  O.xfordshire,  England,  .\pril  22, 
1822,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Hannah 


Newitt,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the 
same  country.  James  Newitt  was  a  soldier 
in  the  British  army,  and  having  served  his 
full  time,  was  pensioned  by  the  Crown. 

Robert  Newitt  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  land,  and  received  but  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  its  private  schools.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  first  union  being  with  Miss 
Zilpah  Bass,  to  whom  was  born  one  son, 
Robert  B. ,  who  is  now  deceased.  For  his 
second  wife  he  married  Susan  Rolph,  De- 
cember 10,  1S46,  and  to  them  were  born 
three  children:  Zilpah,  born  Augusts,  1848; 
Eliza,  born  April  21,  1850;  and  George, 
born  April  8,   1852. 

Realizing  that  in  his  native  land  there 
were  few  opportunities  for  the  aspiring  ones 
to  secure  what  may  be  termed  even  a  fair 
living,  he  determined  to  emigrate  to  the 
New  World,  and  accordingly  with  his  wife 
and  family  he  took  a  sailing  vessel,  and  in 
April,  1854,  landed  at  New  York,  from 
which  place  he  came  directly  to  De  Kalb, 
Illinois,  and  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe 
trade,  in  which  he  continued  for  forty-three 
years.  As  may  well  be  imagined,  the  coun- 
try at  that  time  was  comparatively  new, 
with  no  such  evidence  of  thrift  as  is  now 
shown  by  the  manufactories  of  the  city. 
He  grew  up  with  the  country  and  town,  and 
what  he  has  accumulated  is  the  result  of 
close  application  to  business,  strict  economy 
and  fair  dealing  with  his  fellow  men. 

In  politics  Mr.  Newitt  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  his  town  in  various  offices, 
both  previous  and  subsequent  to  its  incor- 
poration. It  goes  without  saying  that  in 
ever  position  occupied,  he  discharged  its 
duties  faithfully  and  well,  with  the  same 
conscientious  regard  for  right  that  char- 
acterized him  in  his  private  business  In 
1897,  when  he  sold  his  mercantile  establish- 


26 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ment,  he  visited  his  native  land,  where  he 
enjoyed  the  associations  of  former  years. 
The  old  world,  howe\er,  had  not  the  at- 
tractions of  the  new,  and  he  returned  to  the 
scenes  of  his  active  life,  where  he  is  now 
living  retired,  spending  his  time  in  looking 
after  his  city  property,  now  owning  several 
houses  and  vacant  lots.  As  a  citizen  he  is 
regarded  highly,  and  has  always  been  pro- 
gressive, with  an  eye  single  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  adopted  city  and  count}'. 


ISAAC  LEONARD  ELLWOOD.— The 
1  life  histor}'  of  him  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch  is  closely  identified  with  the 
history  of  De  Kalb,  which  has  been  his 
home  for  forty-three  years.  He  began  his 
remarkable  career  here  when  the  city  was 
a  little  village.  He  has  grown  with  its 
growth,  and  has  been  largely  instrumental 
in  its  development.  His  life  has  been  one 
of  untiring  activity,  and  has  been  crowned 
with  a  degree  of  success  attained  by  com- 
paratively few  men. 

A  native  of  New  York,  Isaac  L.  Ell- 
wood  was  born  in  Salt  Springville,  Mont- 
gomery county,  August  3,  1833,  and  is  the 
seventh  son  in  the  family  of  Abraham  and 
Sarah  (Delong)  Ellvvood.  In  early  youth 
he  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  He 
was  fitted  for  the  responsible  duties  of  life 
only  by  a  limited  common-school  educa- 
tion, but  his  force  of  character,  unflagging 
energy  and  perseverance  made  up  for  his 
lack  of  early  opportunities.  Driving  a  team 
on  the  Erie  canal  at  ten  dollars  per  month, 
and  later  clerking  in  a  store  until  eighteen 
years  of  age,  thus  his  youth  was  passed. 
The  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  slope, 
hovk'ever,  brought  a  change  in  his  life,  for, 


with  the  hope  of  more  quickly  realizing  a 
fortune,  he  made  his  way  to  California  in 
1S51  and  spent  four  years  in  that  state. 
He  worked  in  the  mines  for  a  year,  and 
then  secured  a  position  as  salesman  in  a 
Sacramento  store.  By  industry  and  econ- 
omy he  managed  to  secure  a  small  capital, 
but  not  wishing  to  invest  this  in  the  far 
west  he  retraced  his  steps  to  Illinois,  and 
established  a  little  hardware  store  in  De 
Kalb  in  1855.  His  history  from  that  time 
forward  is  one  of  interest,  showing,  as  it 
does,  that  there  is  no  royal  road  to  wealth, 
but  that  industry  and  a  fit  utilization  of  his 
opportunities  has  brought  him  to  the  goal 
toward  which  all  business  men  are  eagerly 
wending  their  way.  For  twenty  years  he 
carried  on  his  store,  increasing  his  stock  as 
his  patronage  justified. 

His  travels  through  Illinois  as  an  auc- 
tioneer, and  his  contact  with  farmers, 
brought  to  his  knowledge  a  condition  of 
affairs  which  in  later  years  he  was  able  to 
improve.  Ilhnois'  broad  prairies  offered 
special  inducements  to  the  agriculturists, 
but  they  had  great  difficulty  in  securing 
fences  which  would  indicate  the  boundaries 
of  their  land  and  prevent  cattle  from  de- 
stroying the  crops.  As  there  were  no  for- 
ests lumber  was  very  expensive,  and  then, 
too,  the  board  fences  were  being  continu- 
ally broken  down  and  in  need  of  repair. 
J.  F.  Giidden  invented  what  is  to-day 
known  as  the  Giidden  barb  wire  and  Mr. 
Ellwood  assisted  him  in  obtaining  patents, 
having  a  half  interest  in  the  invention.  In 
1876  Mr.  Giidden  sold  his  interest  to  the 
\\'ashburn  &  Moen  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  they  together,  after  a  litigation 
of  some  years,  granted  licenses  to  various 
factories.  Through  Mr.  Eilwood's  influence 
and  foresight,  all  of  the  underlying  and  first 


ISAAC   L.   ELLWOOD. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


29 


patents  on  barb  wire  and  machinery  for 
making  the  same  were  combined  together, 
enabling  him,  with  the  assistance  of  others, 
to  build  up  one  of  the  largest  and  most  suc- 
cessful business  enterprises  in  the  history 
of  the  country.  For  forty  years  farming 
was  carried  on  in  this  section  of  the  United 
States  with  the  same  need  of  fencing  mate- 
rial, yet  not  until  the  jear  mentioned  did 
any  one  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
to  give  the  world  this  important  invention. 
For  a  time  Mr.  Ellwood  was  associated  in 
the  manufacture  of  barb  wire  with  Mr. 
Glidden  and  afterward  with  the  ^^'ashbur^ 
&  Moen  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Wor- 
cester, Massachusetts.  This  connection 
continued  for  some  time,  but  Mr.  Ellwood 
is  now  exclusive  owner  and  manager  of  the 
large  manufacturing  establishment  at  De 
I\alb,  doing  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  the  I.  L.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Com- 
pan}".  When  he  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Glidden  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
business  management  of  the  firm,  and  to 
his  tact  and  business  ability  may  be  attrib- 
uted in  no  small  measure  the  success  of  the 
enterprise. 

From  time  to  time  improvements  have 
of  course  been  made.  Countless  objections 
were  urged  against  the  new  fencing  ma- 
terial, but  this  was  to  be  expected,  for  no 
successful  invention  ever  came  at  once  into 
general  use.  Its  utility,  however,  was  soon 
demonstrated,  and  the  sales  increased  rap- 
idly after  a  time.  The  fencing  began  to  be 
used  not  only  by  the  farmers  but  also  b\- 
the  railroad  companies;  and  although  the 
railroad  corporations  were  loath  at  first  to 
accept  the  invention,  they  have  to-day  thou- 
sands of  miles  of  road  enclosed  with  barb- 
wire  fence.  In  order  to  turn  out  his  ma- 
terial at  a  lower  cost,  it  was  seen  that  it 
2 


would  be  necessary  to  have  automatic  ma- 
chinery, which  was  secured  through  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Ellwood.  This  machine  was 
made  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  raw  wire 
from  the  coil,  barb,  twist  and  spool  it  ready 
for  use;  and  in  perfecting  this  invention 
over  one  million  dollars  were  spent,  but  the 
result  was  at  length  attained,  and  one  ma- 
chine was  able  to  do  the  work  of  eight  men 
and  do  it  more  perfectly.  The  works  of 
the  I.  L.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company 
are  very  extensive,  the  capacity  being  about 
twenty-five  car  loads  every  ten  hours,  and 
in  this  establishment  employment  is  fur- 
nished to  about  six  hundred  men.  It  is 
now  consolidated  with  the  American  Steel 
&  Wire  Company.  W'hile  others  are  also 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  barbed  wire, 
it  is  a  widely  recognized  fact  throughout  the 
country  that  this  industry  owes  its  success- 
ful establishment  to  Mr.  Ellwood. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1859,  Mr.  Ell- 
wood married  Miss  Harriet  Miller,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  but  two  of  the  sons  are  now  de- 
ceased. Those  living  are  William  L. ,  Mrs. 
Dr.  Mayo,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Lewis,  Mrs.  B.  F. 
Ray  and  E.  P.  Ellwood. 

Although  a  stanch  Republican  in  his  po- 
litical views,  Mr.  Ellwood  has  always  de- 
clined to  accept  political  ofhce,  save  that 
of  alderman  of  his  adopted  city,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  his  fellow  townsmen  for 
a  time.  He  has  always  taken  great  inter- 
est in  the  promulgation  of  the  principles  of 
the  part}',  and  in  the  annual  meetings  of 
its  representative  men  in  Illinois  he  is 
always  invited  and  his  advice  is  listened  to 
with  interest,  and  his  views  meet  with  gen- 
eral acceptance.  While  refusing  office,  he 
was,  however,  appointed  upon  the  staff  of 
Governor  Tanner,  with  the  rank  of  colonel, 


30 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  is  now  serving  in  that  position.  There 
is  no  more  progressive  or  pubhc-spirited 
citizen  in  De  Kalb  county,  and  he  with- 
holds his  support  from  no  movement  or  en- 
terprise tending  to  advance  the  public  good. 
In  securing  for  De  Kalb  the  Northern  Illi- 
nois State  Normal,  Colonel  Ellwood  gave 
much  time  and  attention,  spending  weel<s 
at  the  state  capitol,  using  his  influence  with 
legislators  in  securing  the  passage  of  the 
bill  creating  the  institution,  and  its  location 
at  De  Kalb.  In  1896,  a  bill  was  passed 
by  the  general  assembly  of  the  state,  ap- 
propriating seventy-five  thousand  dollars  to 
the  buildings,  and  in  1898,  one  appropria- 
ing  fifty  thousand  dollars.  In  addition  to 
this  the  city  of  De  Kalb  gave  seventy  thou- 
sand dollars.  By  the  governor  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  trustee  of  the  school,  and  is  now 
serving  as  such.  While  others  were  work- 
ing for  the  same  object,  it  is  due  him  the 
greater  share  of  credit  for  securing  such  a 
noble  institution. 

Colonel  Ellwood  is  a  charitable  and  be- 
nevolent man,  one  of  broad  humanitarian 
principles,  who  regards  not  lightly  his  duty 
to  his  fellow  men.  He  has  climbed  steadily 
upwards,  and  all  the  time  he  has  had  a 
hand  reaching  down  to  assist  others  less 
fortunate.  Always  ready  to  encourage  in- 
dustry and  energy,  his  employees  know  that 
faithful  service  means  promotions  as  oppor- 
tunity offers.  He  has  won  for  himself  very 
favorable  comment  for  the  careful  and  sys- 
tematic methods  he  has  followed  in  business. 
He  realized  the  intrinsic  value  of  minor  as 
well  as  greater  opportunities,  has  ever  stood 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  circumstances, 
and  even  mold  adverse  conditions  until 
they  serve  his  ends,  and  in  all  relations  has 
maintained  an  unassailable  reputation  for 
integrity  and  honor. 


GEORGE  G.  LEWIS,  a  teacher  of 
music  in  Sycamore,  Illinois.  He  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Cortland,  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  June  30,  1864.  His  father. 
Dr.  George  \\'.  Lewis,  was  born  in  Albion, 
Orleans  county,  New  York,  in  1832.  He 
read  medicine  in  Cincinnati,  and  latter  at- 
tended the  Miami  Medical  College.  About 
1853  he  came  west,  locating  in  Galena,  Illi- 
nois, from  which  place  he  moved  to  Cort- 
land in  1856.  He  was  a  great  student  and 
investigator,  and  gave  much  time  to  private 
research.  In  his  profession  he  was  not 
bigoted,  but  adopted  successful  methods 
from  every  school  of  medicine.  A  method- 
ical man,  he  kept  a  diary  from  the  time  he 
was  si.x  years  old  until  his  death  in  1895, 
in  the  Wesleyan  hospital  at  Chicago,  where 
he  was  being  treated.  For  several  years 
prior  to  his  death  he  made  his  home  with 
our  subject. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
George  Lewis,  who  married  a  Miss  Ferry, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  lived  many 
years  near  Flint,  Michigan,  where  he  died 
at  a  good  old  age.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, Littlefield,  attained  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  three  years,  and  at  that  age 
performed  on  a  violincello,  on  which  instru- 
ment he  was  a  fine  musician.  He  was  with 
General  Washington  at  \'alley  Forge  and 
acted  as  one  of  his  body  guards. 

Dr.  George  W'.  Lewis  married  Miss  Julia 
Teachout,  born  in  Royalton,  Ohio,  near 
Cleveland  in  1833,  and  who  died  in  De- 
Kalb  county,  in  1892.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Lydia  (Throop)  Teachout, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  Amsterdam, 
New  York,  who  was  an  old-fashion  herb 
doctor,  and  an  expert  in  the  use  of  nature's 
remedies.  Many  of  his  formulas  have  since 
been    used    by    practicing  physicans.      The 


THE   BIOGIL\PHICAL   RECORD. 


3t 


Throop  family  were  early  settlers  of  Chi- 
cago, locating  there  when  the  place  was 
more  than  a  village.  Throop  street  was 
named  in  honor  of  one  of  the  family.  John 
Teachout  was  a  son  of  John  Teachout, 
senior,  who  in  early  colonial  days  took  up  a 
tract  of  land  where  New  Amsterdam,  New 
York,  now  stands. 

With  the  exception  of  a  short  time  in 
Cincinnati,  while  an  infant,  and  two  years 
wiien  his  parents  resided  in  Michigan,  our 
subject  lived  in  Cortland,  until  the  age  of 
si.Kteen.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Cortland,  until  that  age,  after  which  he 
went  to  Evanston,  where  he  took  a  course 
in  the  Northwestern  University,  and  later 
one  at  Oberlin,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen he  began  the  teaching  of  music, 
having  made  a  study  of  it  for  several  years. 
He  later  attended  the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Music,  perfecting  himself  in  his  profes- 
sion. He  also  took  private  lessons  under 
the  best  musicians  in  Chicago.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  traveled  through  many 
of  the  states  in  the  union,  teaching  on  the 
way.  He  has  made  five  or  six  trips  to 
California  and  Oregon,  and  traveled  all 
along  the  Pacific  coast.  In  1889,  he  came 
to  Sycamore,  taking  charge  of  the  musical 
department  of  Waterman  Hall. 

George  G.  Lewis  was  married  in  Di.xon, 
Illinois,  August  i,  1888,  to  Miss  Harriet  C. 
Chapell,  a  native  of  South  Grove  township, 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Enoch  and  Sarah  (Winchell)  Chapell.  By 
this  union  there  is  one  child,  Gertrude,  a 
bright  little  miss  of  two  years.  Mr.  Lewis 
is  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind,  and  among 
other  inventions  is  an  appliance  for  turning 
music  with  foot  while  both  hands  are  play- 
ing; alsD  an  appliance  for  watering  poultry, 
by  which  the  water  is  kept  fresh  and  clean. 


The  most  important  invention,  however,  is  a 
machine  for  re-insulating  electric  wires  that 
have  become  weatherworn,  without  remov- 
ing from  the  poles.  With  his  partner, 
William  A.  Buehl,  he  is  now  making  practi- 
cal use  of  the  invention.  Politically  the  Pro- 
fessor is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  a  Ma- 
son, holding  membership  with  the  blue  lodge 
and   chapter  at  Sycamore. 


EDWARD  I.  BOIES,  of  the  firm  of  Van 
Galder  &  Boies,  publishers  of  the  True 
Republican,  Sycamore,  Illinois,  is  a  native 
of  the  city,  born  February  19,  i860,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  L.  and  Harriet  S.  (^Holmes) 
Boies,  the  former  a  native  of  South  Hadley, 
Massachusetts,  born  July  5,  1830,  and  the 
latter  a  native  of  Sherburne,  New  York,  and 
the  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Margaret 
(Rumrillj  Holmes.  They  were  married  at 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  February  9, 
1858,  and  became  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren— Edward  I.,  our  subject;  Charles  Ar- 
temas,  who  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
at  DeKalb,  Illinois;  and  Lucy  M.,  who  was 
born  in  Sjcamore,  Illinois,  February.  1865. 
She  received  her  early  education  in  the 
Sycamore  schools,  graduating  from  the  high 
school  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  She 
taught  school  in  the  country  for  a  few  terms, 
then  attended  Oberlin  College.  She  after- 
wards was  employed  as  teacher  in  Syca- 
more schools.  In  1888  she  went  on  a  pleas- 
ure trip  to  the  Bahama  islands.  The  winter 
of  1891-92  she  spent  in  study  and  travel  in 
Europe.  In  June  of  the  latter  year  she  re- 
turned home  where  she  remained  until  the 
fall  of  last  year  when,  upon  the  advice  of 
physicians,  she  went  to  California.  In  spite 
of  the  most  assiduous  care  and  attention  of 
her  devoted  mother,  and  the   efforts  of  the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


best  medical  talent,  she  continued  to  grow 
weaker  until  death  ended  her  suffering  Fri- 
day, August  9,  1S95,  at  Passadena. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, Artemas  Boies,  was  born  in  Blandford, 
Massachusetts,  in  1792.  He  was  a  minis- 
ter in  the  Congregational  church,  and  after 
a  useful  life  of  fifty-three  years,  died  Sept- 
ember 20,  1845.  The  family  are  of  French 
origin,  and  were  among  the  Huguenots  who 
were  driven  from  their  native  land  into 
Scotland,  and  who  came  to  this  countr}' 
about  1680.  Henry  L.  Boies  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  state,  and  in  1854  came 
DeKalb  county,  Illinois,  and  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  South  Grove  town- 
ship. In  185S  he  located  at  Sycamore, 
where  he  purchased  a  small  farm,  which  was 
afterwards  surveyed  and  platted,  and  is 
known  as  Boies'  Subdivision  of  Sycamore. 
He  later  became  associated  in  the  publica- 
tion of  the  True  Republican,  and  in  1865, 
its  editorial  management  passed  into  his 
hands.  He  continued  with  the  paper  as 
editor  and  publisher  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  April  26,  1887.  His  widow  is  still 
living  in  Sycamore,  where  she  is  well  known 
and  highly  respected,  being  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church. 

In  politics  Henry  L.  Boies  was  a  stanch 
Republican  from  the  organization  of  the 
party.  During  the  administration  of  Pres- 
ident Hayes,  he  served  as  postmaster  of 
Sycamore,  and  in  1870,  was  secretary  of  the 
Illinois  state  senate.  He  was  very  active 
and  prominent  in  politics  and  an  earnest 
worker  for  the  party,  ever  read}'  to  aid  his 
friends.  During  his  life  in  Sjxamore,  he 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  did  much  to  strengthen 
that  organization  and  build  up  the  Master's 
cause.      He  was  a   man    of  literary   tastes, 


and  gave  much  attention  to  that  kind  of 
work.  Among  his  literary  productions  was 
Boies'  History  of  DeKalb  County,  published 
in  1868,  a  work  of  considerable  merit,  with 
much  practical  and   statistical  information. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
Sycamore,  receiving  his  education  in  its 
public  schools,  and  at  Todd's  Seminary, 
Woodstock,  Illinois.  Later  he  attended 
the  business  college  at  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois, in  which  he  received  a  good  busi- 
ness training.  In  1880  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  True  Republican  as  a  print- 
er and  reporter,  and  in  1885  became  a 
partner  with  his  father  in  the  publication  of 
the  paper.  This  partnership  was  continued 
until  the  death  of  the  father,  after  which  he 
carried  on  the  paper  alone  for  about  one 
year,  and  then  associated  with  himself  F. 
O.  Van  Galder,  and  under  the  firm  name 
of  \'an  Galder  &  Boies,  the  publication  of 
the  paper  has  since  been  continued. 

The  True  Republican  was  founded  in 
1857,  and  has  always  been  an  advocate  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  It 
was  published  as  a  weekly  until  1868,  when 
it  was  made  a  semi-weeklj',  since  which 
time  it  has  been  issued  regularly  every 
Wednesday  and  Saturday.  The  paper  has 
a  large  circulation  and  is  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  While  it  makes  party  politics 
one  of  its  principal  issues,  yet  it  devotes 
more  attention  to  local  affairs,  having  its 
correspondents  in  almost  every  town  and 
township  in  the  county.  In  connection 
with  the  paper,  the  proprietors  have  a  good 
job  printing  office,  from  which  they  turn 
out  first-class  work. 

In  1883  Mr.  Boies  was  bill  clerk  for  the 
state  senate,  and  again  in  1885,  serving  in 
a  most  acceptable  manner.  In  1884  he 
took  a  vacation  from  newspaper  work,  and 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


33 


went  to  the  Dakotas  and  took  up  a  quarter- 
section  of  government  land,  remaining 
there  about  one  3'ear,  in  order  that  he 
might  prove  up  his  claim.  On  returning 
home  he  settled  down  to  his  work,  in  which 
he  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  He 
is  now  serving  as  alderman  of  the  second 
ward,  being  elected  in  1897.  In  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  public  welfare,  Mr. 
Boies  takes  an  especially  active  interest, 
rendering  all  the  aid  in  his  power,  person- 
ally and  through  the  paper  with  which  he 
is  connected. 


JOHN  MULLIXS  resides  on  section  18, 
Shabbona  township,  where  he  owns  and 
operates  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  while  owning  another  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  in  the  same 
township,  both  being  highly  improved 
places.  He  is  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, born  October  4,  1844,  and  is  the  son 
of  Robert  Mullins,  also  a  native  of  England, 
born  in  181 1,  and  who  grew  to  manhood 
and  there  married  Sarah  Ulyett,  who  was 
born  in  Yorkshire.  By  occupation  Robert 
Mullins  was  a  farmer  in  Yorkshire,  and  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  that 
shire  for  some  years.  In  1852  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  taking  passage  on  a 
steamer,  the  Sarah  Sands,  an  English  ves- 
sel, and  was  fifteen  days  in  crossing  the  At- 
lantic. Landing  at  New  York,  he  came 
directly  west  to  Buffalo,  by  rail,  and  then 
by  boat  on  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  and  from 
Chicago  to  Aurora,  by  rail,  that  being  as  far 
west  as  the  railroads  then  extended.  From 
Aurora  he  came  with  teams  to  Shabbona, 
where  he  joined  some  English  friends  who 
had  located  there  the  previous  year.  Rob- 
ert Mullins  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 


acres  on  section  17,  erected  a  small  house 
and  at  once  commenced  to  improve  his 
farm.  He  later  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  from  time  to  time  made 
other  purchases  of  land  until  he  owned  over 
fi\e  hundred  acres  of  the  most  productive 
land  in  Shabbona  township.  He  continued 
to  reside  upon  his  farm  until  his  death,  in 
February,  1886,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
dying  in  1S5S,  when  he  subsequently  mar- 
ried an  English  lad}-,  who  survives  him,  and 
now  resides  near  Manchester,  England.  He 
was  the  father  of  six  sons  and  one  daughter 
who  grew  to  mature  years.  Mary,  the  eld- 
est born,  is  now  the  wife  of  Septimus  Story, 
of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  George  is  a  substantial  farmer  of 
Willow  Creek  township,  Lee  county.  John 
is  the  subject  of  this  review.  Robert  is  a 
farmer  residing  in  Wright  county,  Iowa. 
William  and  Henry  also  reside  in  Iowa. 
Thomas  resides  south  of  Chicago. 

John  Mullins  came  to  the  United  States 
when  a  lad  of  eight  years,  and  in  opening 
up  and  developing  the  home  farm  he  ren- 
dered what  assistance  he  could.  He  had 
but  limited  school  advantages  in  early  life, 
but  is  now  a  well  informed  man.  He  en- 
listed, August  13,  1862,  in  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, under  Colonel  Dustin.the  regiment  being 
assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Resaca, 
Burnt  Hickory,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Mariet- 
ta, Georgia,  and  Peach  Tree  Creek.  In  the 
latter  engagement  he  received  a  gunshot 
wound  in  the  left  arm,  which  permanently 
disabled  him,  the  arm  being  broken.  He 
still  carries  the  lead,  which  was  never  ex- 
tracted. After  being  in  the  hospital  for  a 
time,  in  October,  1864,  he   received  a  fur- 


34 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


lough  and  came  home.  While  here  he  cast 
his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Abraham 
Lincoln.  In  the  winter  following  he  re- 
joined his  regiment  at  Biackville,  South 
Carolina,  and  was  later  in  a  few  skirmishes. 
He  was  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where 
Johnson  surrendered  to  Sherman.  Later 
he  participated  in  the  grand  review  at  Wash- 
ington, and  was  there  discharged  June  17, 
1865,  and  was  paid  off  at  Camp  Fry,  Chi- 
cago, about  two  weeks  later. 

Returning  home,  he  went  to  work  on 
the  farm,  and  remained  with  his  father 
until  1869,  when,  in  Shabbona  township, 
October  12,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Martha  R.  Nicholson,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  but  of  English  parentage.  Her  fa- 
ther, Rev.  William  Nicholson,  a  minister 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Indiana,  and  later  to  Illinois, 
where  Mrs.  Mullins  was  mostly  reared  and 
educated.  By  this  union  were  si.x  children, 
five  daughters  and  one  son.  Clara  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  Longford,  a  farmer  of  Lee 
county.  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Fair- 
cloth,  a  farmer  of  Shabbona  township. 
Gertrude,  Cora,  Grace  and  Elmer  Howard 
reside  at  home. 

Immediately  after  marriage,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mullins  commenced  their  domestic  life 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  the  farm  on 
which  they  now  reside.  Mr.  Mullins  first 
purchased  fifty  acres,  and  later  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  his  father,  compris- 
ing the  home  place,  and  there  resided  for 
some  years.  In  1892,  he  built  on  section 
18  the  house  in  which  they  now  live.  No 
farm  in  the  township  shows  better  improve- 
ment, and  Mr.  Mullins  has  the  reputation 
of  being  a  No.  i  farmer.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  has  served  three 
consecutive  terms  as   one   of   the  highway 


commissioners.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  West  Shabbona  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  which  he  is  trustee  and 
steward.  He  has  been  connected  with  the 
Sunday  school  and  has  been  its  superin- 
tendent for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of 
Shabbona  Lodge,  and  is  also  an  Ancient 
Odd  Fellow.  His  long-continued  residence 
in  De  Kalb  county  has  made  for  him  many 
warm  friends. 


PHILO  FERNANDO  SLATER  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  acres,  a  part  of  which  lies 
within  the  village  limits  of  Hinckley.  He 
was  born  in  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  July  24,  1853,  and  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  with  his  father,  Philo  Slater, 
in  1854.  Philo  Slater  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  in  Tompkins  county,  in  1824, 
while  his  grandfather,  Thomas  Slater,  was 
a  native  of  Connecticut.  The  family  are 
of  English  descent,  the  first  of  the  name 
locating  in  Connecticut  at  a  very  early  day. 
Thomas  Slater  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1 812,  and  was  an  officer  of  the  state  militia. 
From  Connecticut  he  moved  to  Tompkins 
county.  New  York,  and  in  1837  came  to 
Illinois,  and  located  in  Sugar  Grove  town- 
ship, Kane  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  Philo  Slater  at  that  time  was 
only  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  there  grew 
to  manhood  and  married  Sallie  Nichols,  a 
native  of  Chenango  county.  New  York,  and 
a  daughter  of  Cyrus  C.  Nichols,  who  was 
an  early  settler  of  Kane  county.  After  his 
marriage,  Philo  Slater  engaged  in  farming 
for  five  years  in  Kane  county,  and  in  1854 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  adjoin- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


35 


ing  the  present  village  of  Hinckley,  a  par- 
tially improved  place.  Later  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres  adjoin- 
ing, making  the  home  farm  comprise  three 
hundred  and  thirty-three  acres,  in  addition  to 
which  he  became  the  owner  of  two  small 
farms  near  Hinckley.  He  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  practical 
farmers  of  De  Kalb  county.  Politically,  he 
was  a  Republican  from  the  organization  of 
the  party,  having  in  1856  voted  for  John  C. 
Fremont,  its  first  presidential  candidate. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  local  politics,  and 
for  years  served  as  supervisor  of  Squaw 
Grove  township,  and  also  held  other  ofTices 
of  honor  and  trust.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
habits,  and  a  strong  temperance  man.  He 
died  on  his  home  farm,  March  28,  1894. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  dying 
in  1884,  and  he  later  married  Miss  Maria 
Severance,  who  still  survives  him.  By  his 
first  wife,  he  was  the  father  of  the  following 
named  children:  Cjtus,  a  farmer  of  Squaw 
Grove  township;  Mar}^  S. ,  wife  of  Albert 
G.  White,  of  Idaho;  Philo  P.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Sarah,  who  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  died  single  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years;  and  Eva,  wife  of  Elmer  Benton, 
who  resides  in  Hinsdale,  Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  home  farm,  and  received  a 
good  common-school  education.  He  was 
married  June  4,  1879,  to  Miss  Alice  J. 
Sebree,  a  daughter  of  W.  M.  Sebree,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
By  this  union  there  are  two  children,  Roy 
M.  and  Elva  E.  After  marriage  he  located 
on  a  part  of  the  old  place,  which  he  culti- 
vated for  several  years.  After  his  father's 
death  he  and  his  brother,  Cyrus,  bought 
out  the  heirs,  and  succeeded  to  the  old 
homestead,  which  they  divided  equally  be- 


tween them.  Since  coming  into  possession 
of  the  place  he  has  greatly  improved  it,  and 
has  now  one  of  the  most  valuable  farms  in 
Squaw  Grove  township. 

In  connection  with  his  farming  Mr. 
Slater  has  been  engaged  for  some  years  in 
the  sheep  business,  and  has  the  largest  flock 
of  recorded  pure-blood  Shropshire  sheep  in 
De  Kalb  county.  His  flock  now  consists  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  head.  His 
reputation  as  a  breeder  and  dealer  in  these 
sheep  extends  throughout  the  whole  coun- 
try. Politically  he  is  a  thoroughbred  Re- 
publican, casting  his  first  presidential  ballot 
for  R.  B.  Hayes  in  1876.  He  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  local  politics,  and  has  served 
on  the  county  central  committee  for  several 
j-ears,  and  has  been  chairman  of  the  town- 
ship committee.  As  a  delegate  he  has 
attended  various  conventions  of  his  party, 
and  has  always  e.xerted  a  good  influence. 
He  and  his  wife  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Hinckley,  and  frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 


ROBERT  DUFFEY  is  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  the  city  of  De  Ivalb,  where 
he  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  life  of 
toil.  He  was  born  in  Coshocton  county, 
Ohio,  in  1830,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Belle  Duffey,  the  former  being  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Coshocton  county.  In  1844, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  James  Dufley 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  De  Kalb  township,  which  he  placed  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  which 
was  his  home  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  After  a  somewhat  uneventful  but  use- 
ful life,   his  death    occurred  in   1872.      He 


36 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


was  highly  respected  as  a  citizen,  beloved 
as  a  husband  and  honored  as  a  father. 

Robert  is  the  second  son  in  a  family  of 
eight  children,  and  was  fourteen  years  of 
age  when  with  his  father  he  removed  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  He  lived  with 
his  father,  assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
farm,  and  attending  the  district  schools  as 
opportunity  offered  him,  until  he  reached  his 
majority,  when  he  was  employed  by  J.  M. 
Goodell,  who  was  then  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  De  Kalb.  He  remained 
with  Mr.  Goodell  two  years,  and  then  jiur- 
chased  a  threshing  machine,  whicli  he  run 
for  several  years  in  connection  with  farm- 
ing. In  1855  he  removed  to  Storey 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy- two  acres, 
and  there  remained  engaged  in  its  cultiva- 
tion for  two  years.  Returning  to  DeKalb 
county,  he  remained  here  two  years,  en- 
gaged in  farming,  after  which  he  removed  to 
California,  in  1859.  He  had  a  similar  ex- 
perience to  all  other  gold  seekers,  who  took 
the  overland  route  by  ox  teams  to  the  New 
Eldorado.  In  California  he  engaged  in 
handling  and  hauling  freight,  using  horses 
and  mules  as  locomotive  power.  He  there 
remained  five  years,  meeting  with  fair  suc- 
cess. 

After  his  return  to  De  Kalb,  in  1864,  Mr. 
Duffey  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  which 
he  followed  for  four  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  which  he  im- 
proved, and  sold  at  an  advance  in  price. 
He  next  speculated  in  cit\'  property,  which 
has  grown  on  his  hands  to  a  phenomenal 
extent.  At  present  he  is  living  a  retired 
life,  as  the  result  of  former  activity  and 
push. 

On  the  twentieth  of  February,  1865, 
Mr.   Duffey  was   united    in    marriage    with 


Miss  Ellen  M.  Fox,  daughter  of  P.  L.  Fox, 
and  by  this  union  were  born  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living,  and  who  have  each 
received  a  good  education. 

In  politics  Mr.  Duffey  is  a  Democrat, 
and  was  honored  by  his  fellow-citizens  with 
various  town  offices,  including  road  com- 
missioner, which  ofitice  he  held  for  three 
years,  and  was  trustee  for  nine  years.  He 
is  highly  respected  in  the  city  of  De  Kalb, 
of  which  he  is  a  loyal  and  patriotic  citizen. 


DANIEL  PIERCE.  —  Success  in  any  line 
of  occupation,  in  any  avenue  of  busi- 
ness, is  not  a  matter  of  spontaneity,  but  is  a 
legitimate  offspring  of  the  proper  use  of  the 
means  at  hand,  the  improvement  of  oppor- 
tunity, and  the  exercise  of  the  highest  func- 
tions made  possible  in  any  case.  Young 
men  in  the  past  have  often  been  deterred 
from  devoting  themselves  to  a  business  life 
because  of  the  widespread  impression  that 
such  a  life  yields  no  opportunity  for  the  dis- 
play of  genius.  The  time,  however,  has 
gone  by  when,  other  things  being  etjiial,  the 
business  man  must  take  a  secondary  place 
to  the  lawyer,  the  doctor,  the  minister  or 
the  editor.  In  fact,  as  a  rule,  let  the  busi- 
ness man  be  equally  well-equipped  by  edu- 
cation and  natural  endowment,  and  you  will 
find  him  to-day  in  every  community,  exert- 
ing a  wider  influence  and  wielding  a  larger 
power  than  a  man  of  equal  capacity  in  other 
walks  of  life.  The  men  of  affairs  have 
come  to  be  in  a  large  degree  the  men  upon 
whom  the  country  leans.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  pre-eminently  a  man  of  affairs. 
Daniel  Pierce  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Neversink,  Sullivan  county,  New  York,  July 
18,  1 8 14,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Cargill)  Pierce.      His  father  was 


DANIEL   PIERCE. 


LIBRARY 
OF  IE 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


39 


a  native  of  Westchester  county,  New  York, 
and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  went  to  Sulli- 
van county,  where  his  marriage  with  Eliza- 
beth Cargill  was  solemnized.  They  became 
the  parents  of  six  children — William,  Polly, 
John,  Daniel,  Penelope  and  Catherine.  He 
died  in  March,  1819,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
one  years,  and  his  widow,  three  years  later, 
married  Edward  Porter. 

When  our  subject  was  but  twelve  years 
of  age,  he  commenced  life  for  himself,  work- 
ing for  three  dollars  per  month  for  the  first 
seven  months.  His  education  was  very 
limited,  for  the  reason  that  he  was  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  at  such  a  tender 
age.  But  there  was  in  him  the  making  of 
a  man.  He  toiled  early  and  late,  working 
for  others  until  he  attained  his  majority, 
when  he  began  working  a  farm  on  his  own 
account.  He  worked  during  the  summers, 
and  in  the  winters  worked  for  his  board 
while  going  to  school.  He  was  married  De- 
cember 17,  1835,  to  Miss  Phebe  J.  Brund- 
age,  a  native  of  Orange  county.  New  York, 
born  August  17,  1818,  and  a  daughter  of 
Abijah  and  Sarah  (Lane)  Brundage.  Her 
father,  who  was  born  April  23,  i/St,  was 
by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  during  the  war 
of  181 2  served  as  a  soldier.  He  died  in 
Sullivan  count)',  April  23,  1850.  His  wife 
was  born  September  23,  1786,  and  died  Oc- 
tober 21,  1837.  Abijah  Brundage  was  the 
son  of  John  and  Martha  (Ogden)  Brundage, 
the  former  born  February  12,  1733,  and 
died  February  9,  1796.  The  latter  born 
December  10,  1738,  died  October  28,  1799. 
To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  were 
born,  the  first  dying  in  infancy.  Eleanor  is 
now  the  widow  of  A.  \\'.  Townsend.  Sarah 
married  G.  P.  Wild,  cashier  of  the  banking 
house  of  Daniel  Pierce  &  Company.  She 
died  June  Ti,  1896.      Mrs.  Pierce  died  Oc- 


tober 4,  1 876,  lea\ing  many  friends  to  mourn 
her  loss. 

Alter  his  marriage,  Mr.  Pierce  operated 
the  old  homestead  for  four  years,  and  then 
purchased  the  lease  of  a  farm  in  a  different 
locality,  which  he  operated  five  years,  and 
upon  a  third  farm  he  remained  until  1848, 
when  he  purchased  the  titles  of  three  farms 
in  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  including  the 
old  homestead.  From  there  he  removed 
to  Deming,  Ulster  county.  New  York,  and 
purchased  an  interest  in  a  tannery  where 
he  remained  two  years.  The  desire  was 
in  him,  however,  to  increase  his  worldly 
possessions  more  rapidly  than  he  could  in 
the  east,  and  he  therefore  determined  on 
coming  to  Illinois,  where  the  opportunities 
for  advancement  were  much  greater.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  1855.  he  sold  the  greater 
part  of  his  possessions  in  his  native  county, 
and  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  where  he 
rented  a  farm  in  Mayfield  township  for 
one  year.  In  1856,  he  removed  to  the  city 
of  Sycamore  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  buying  and  selling  both  improved 
and  unimproved  farms.  He  continued  in 
that  business  exclusively  until  1867,  when 
the  banking  house  of  Pierce,  Dean  &  Con^i- 
pany  was  established,  of  which  he  took  the 
active  management.  The  firm  name  was 
changed  in  1871,  to  Pierce  &  Dean,  and  in 
1883  to  Daniel  Pierce  &  Company.  Until 
1888  Mr.  Pierce  had  the  active  manage- 
ment of  his  bank,  but  on  account  of  im- 
paired health,  he  is  now  practically  living  a 
retired  life.  During  the  past  ten  years  he 
has  devoted  his  time  principally  to  his  Iowa 
interests. 

For  more  than  forty  years  Mr.  Pierce 
has  ranked  among  the  ablest  financiers  of 
northern  Illinois.  Successful  beyond  even 
his  own  highest  expectations,  he  has  added 


40 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  his  possessions  until  he  is  the  owner  of 
many  large  and  productive  farms  in  De 
Kalb  count}',  and  several  thousand  acres  in 
Iowa  and  other  western  states.  The  bank- 
ing house  so  long  managed  by  him  has  al- 
ways been  regarded  as  one  of  the  safest 
financial  institutions  in  the  state,  and  this 
confidence  in  the  soundness  of  the  banjv  has 
been  brought  about  by  his  well-known  con- 
servative character  and  strict  integrity. 
^^'hile  as  stated,  his  early  education  was 
limited,  yet  b}'  reading  and  observation  he 
becaine  well  informed,  and  his  judgment  of 
men  and  affairs,  especially  as  affecting  finan- 
cial interests,  has  been  almost  infallible. 
He  always  knew  when  to  buy  and  when  to 
sell  a  piece  of  real  estate,  and  the  fluctua- 
tions in  the  money  market  were  generally 
foreseen  by  him.  His  word  was  always 
kept  inviolate  and  a  promise  made  by  him 
was  fulfilled  to  the  letter. 


PROF.  FREDERICK  BRINK  BETTIS 
is  a  musician  whose  skill  and  ability  is 
acknowledged  by  all.  Since  1893  he  has 
made  his  home  in  Sycamore,  but  has  classes 
in  music  in  man}'  of  the  surrounding  towns. 
He  was  born  in  Lacon,  Marshall  county, 
Illinois,  December  5,  1853,  and  is  the  son 
of  John  W.  and  Sarah  A.  (Brink)  Bettis, 
the  former  a  native  of  Montreal,  Canada, 
and  the  latter  born  at  Saugerties,  on  the 
Hudson,  opposite  the  old  Robert  Livingston 
manor.  The\'  were  the  parents  of  seven 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  three 
sons  and  one  daughter  survive.  Two  of 
the  sons  served  during  the  war  of  the 
rebellion.  By  trade  the  father  was  an 
architect  and  builder,  and  for  some  years 
resided  in  Kingston,  New  York,  from  which 
place  he   moved  to   Lacon,    Illinois,    in   the 


early  fifties.  In  that  place  he  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business,  and  also  had  a  large 
farm  near  the  city,  on  which  he  resided. 
His  wife  dying  in  1856,  he  later  went  to 
California,  where  he  remained  seventeen 
years,  then  returned  to  the  residence  of  a 
son  in  Kansas,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1888.  His  father,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  one  of  the  Revolutionary  heroes. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  dying  when 
he  was  three  years  of  age,  he  went  to  live 
with  relatives,  but  being  of  an  independent 
turn  of  mind,  at  the  age  of  ten  years  he 
began  supporting  himself.  He  attended 
school  until  the  age  of  fifteen,  working  on 
farms  during  the  summer  months  for  his 
board  and  clothes,  and  part  of  the  time  for 
the  opportunity  of  attending  school.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  commenced  to  learn 
the  painters'  trade,  and  during  the  titne 
thus  employed  was  studying  music,  which 
he  intended  to  make  his  profession.  After 
ten  years  he  began  the  study  of  vocal  music 
with  C.  E.  Leslie,  a  well-known  Chicago 
author  and  teacher  of  music,  and  with  him 
traveled  for  ten  years,  over  nearly  a  score  of 
states,  singing  at  conventions  and  musical 
gatherings.  He  traveled  eight  months  in 
the  year,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the 
time  he  perfected  himself  in  his  chosen 
profession.  He  spent  several  seasons  in 
the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music, 
in  Boston,  and  took  private  lessons  there  at 
Professor  H.  E.  Holt's  Normal  School  for 
Trained  Teachers,  for  public-school  work. 
In  1888  he  went  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
and  there  remained  two  jears,  engaged  in 
teaching  music  in  its  public  schools.  In 
1890  he  moved  to  Chicago,  and  taught 
music  in  the  schools  of  South  Evanston. 
While  residing  there  he  frequently  came  to 
Sycamore   to  give  lessons  to  the   pupils   in 


J 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


41 


the  public  schools,  and  in  1893  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  this  city.  He  gives  special 
attention  to  vocal  culture  and  harmony, 
and  has  private  pupils  in  Creston,  Malta, 
Genoa,  Kingston  and  other  places.  He 
takes  great  interest  in  musical  conventions, 
and  often  reads  papers  before  them  on 
musical  topics. 

Professor  Bettis  was  married  in  Austin, 
a  suburb  of  Chicago,  December  27,  1890, 
to  Miss  Blanche  Bentley,  born  in  Chagrin 
Falls,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Martin 
Bentley,  a  native  of  Warren,  Ohio,  who 
moved  to  Boone  county,  Illinois,  and  was 
one  of  the  forty-niners  of  California,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  a  number  of  years. 
With  two  companions,  he  engaged  a  man 
to  take  them  across  the  plains  in  a  wagon, 
each  of  them  paying  one  hundred  dollars  in 
advance.  At  Omaha  the  man  deserted 
them,  and  all  three  walked  across  the 
plains  and  mountains  to  the  land  of  gold. 
Returning  later  to  Ohio,  he  remained  a 
short  time,  and  then  removed  to  Austin, 
Illinois,  where  he  died. 

In  politics  Professor  Bettis  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  although  he  gives  little  atten- 
tion to  political  affairs.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason,  holding  membership  with  the  blue 
lodge  at  S3camore. 


GEORGE  D.  BENTLY,  dealer  in  real 
estate  and  loans,  De  Kalb,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  Duchess  county. 
New  York,  in  1825.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Cornelia  Bently.  John  Bently  was  a 
shoemaker,  but  in  middle  life  gave  up  the 
trade  to  follow  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1834  he  removed  to  the  city  of  .\uburn, 
New  York,  where  he  passed  away  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-four  years. 


George  D.  Bently,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1854,  locat- 
ing in  De  Kalb,  De  Kalb  county,  on  the 
same  place  where  he  now  resides.  In  his 
early  life  in  De  Kalb  he  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  the  grain,  lumber  and  coal  busi- 
ness, at  which  he  continued  for  thirteen 
years.  At  the  e.xpiration  of  that  time  he 
began  to  deal  in  real  estate  and  loans,  and 
little  by  little  worked  himself  into  the  busi- 
ness. 

In  1854  Mr.  Bently  was  married  to  Miss 
Ada  E.  Brown,  daughter  of  F.  W.  Brown, 
by  whom  he  had  si.\  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living.  Frank  W.  is  a  conductor 
on  the  Northwestern  Railroad,  and  has  been 
employed  by  that  road  for  the  past  twenty 
3'ears.  Chester  is  secretary  of  the  Cripple 
Creek  Mining  Company.  Fred  is  foreman 
for  the  Omaha  Packing  Company.  Jesse  is 
yardmaster  at  Tracy.  Mrs.  Ada  E.  Bently 
died  in  1870,  and  he  married  for  his  second 
wife  Miss  Jennie  Streubly,  in  1878.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  two  children, 
George  D.  and  Ada  E.  The  latter  is  pos- 
sessed of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  a 
line  musician  and  an  accomplished  elocu- 
tionist. 

Mr.  Bently  has  never,  strange  to  relate, 
advertised,  nor  does  he  have  an  office; 
when  his  patrons  want  land  or  money,  they 
find  him  without  difficulty.  While  he  is 
getting  along  in  years,  Mr.  Bentlj'  is  not 
above  doing  a  day's  work  that  any  other 
laboring  man  can  accomplish.  By  his  in- 
dustrial habits  and  his  close  application  to 
the  golden  rule,  he  has  accumulated  a  nice 
fortune.  He  owns  several  houses  in  addi- 
tion to  his  other  city  property.  He  is  a  plain, 
honest,  unassuming  man,  whom  his  fellow 
citizens  highly  respect.  Among  the  various 
local   offices   with   which   he  has  been  hon- 


42 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ored,  was  that  of  city  commissioner,  hold- 
ing it  for  several  years.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Health  for  a  period 
of  ten  years. 


WILLIAM  VON  OHLEN,  now  living  a 
retired  life  in  the  village  of  Hinckley, 
was  for  nearly  thirty  years  an  active  and 
enterprising  farmer  of  Ue  Kalb  county.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  the  Duke- 
dom of  Brunswick,  May  14,  1843.  His 
father,  Christian  H.  Von  Ohlen,  was  a 
native  of  the  same  place,  born  in  1798. 
He  there  grew  to  manhood  and  married 
Johanna  Borneman,  also  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. He  was  a  mechanic  and  carried  on 
a  manufacturing  business  for  some  years. 
His  ability  was  recognized  by  his  fellow 
citizens,  and  he  served  in  the  legislature 
of  his  native  country.  In  1855.  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  arrived  at  Sand- 
wich, De  Kalb  county,  October  30,  and 
first  located  on  a  farm  near  that  place,  and 
later  moved  to  the  town  of  Victor,  and 
lived  a  retired  life.  He  died  in  1880,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife  survived 
him  two  years,  dj'ing  in  1882.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, who  grew  to  mature  years.  Louis 
grew  to  manhood,  married  and  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine  years,  leaving  a  wife  and 
five  children.  Christian  is  a  farmer  of  De 
Kalb  county,  and  a  well-to-do  and  substan- 
tial citizen.  Mrs.  Christian  Bale  resides  in 
Hinckle)',  where  her  husband  is  living  a  re- 
tired life.  Mrs.  Henry  Thoerel,  with  her 
husband,  is  living  retired  in  the  village  of 
Hinckley.  Henry  lives  a  retired  life  in  the 
village  of  Somonauk.  William  and  .Mrs. 
Boiler  reside  in  Hmckley. 

William   Von  Ohlen   came  to   De  Kalb 


county,  Illinois,  when  but  twelve  years  of 
age.  His  education,  began  in  the  old  coun- 
try, was  completed  in  the  schools  of  Victor 
township,  where  the  family  resided.  In 
September,  iS6r,  he  showed  his  loyalty  to 
his  adopted  country  by  enlisting  in  Com- 
pany B,  Thirty-Si.xth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, which  was  sent  to  RoUa,  Missouri, 
soon  after  being  mustered  into  the  service. 
He  there  participated  in  the  battle  of  Pea 
Ridge.  With  his  regiment  he  was  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  the  battles  of  Perryville, 
Kentucky,  and  Stone  River.  He  was 
wounded  at  Pea  Ridge,  being  shot  through 
the  abdomen,  and  at  Stone  River  was  shot 
through  both  thighs,  and  permanently  dis- 
abled. He  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  later  at  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  was  discharged  from 
the  service  May  13,   1864. 

Returning  home,  Mr.  \'on  Ohlen  was 
unable  to  work  to  any  e.xtent  for  some 
years.  When  able  he  first  rented  a  farm 
for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a  place 
in  the  township  of  Victor,  comprising  sev- 
enty-five acres.  Removing  to  that  farm,  he 
began  its  further  development,  and  there 
remained  until  1874,  when  he  sold  out  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  a  fairly  well  improved  place  in  Squaw 
Grove  township.  On  this  farm  he  moved 
his  family  and  there  resided  for  some  years. 
He  later  built  a  good  house,  barn  and  other 
out  buildings,  making  of  it  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  township.  To  the  original 
farm  he  added  eighty  acres,  all  of  which  he 
improved,  and  during  his  residence  there  he 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairy  busi- 
ness. In  1893,  he  rented  his  place  to  his 
son  and  purchased  a  residence  in  the  village 
of  Hinckley,  a  neat  and  comfortable  home 
where  he   is  now  living  retired.      In  addi- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


43 


tion  to  his  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  he  also  owns  another  well  improved 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

At  Pierceville,  Illinois,  September  i, 
1867,  Mr.  Von  Ohlen  married  Miss  Mary 
Roth,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  a  child  of  six  years  with  her 
father,  Henry  Roth,  who  is  now  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  of  Pierce  township,  a  hale 
and  hearty  man  of  eighty-five  years.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  \'on  Ohlen  four  children  have  been 
born  as  follows:  Amelia  C,  now  the  wife 
of  Edward  Ramer,  a  farmer  of  Squaw  Grove 
township;  Arvet  H.,  who  is  married  and 
carrying  on  the  old  home  farm;  Aha  A.  and 
Veda  May,  who  are  attending  the  high 
school  at  Hinckley,  Illinois.  Mrs.  \'on 
Ohlen,  who  was  a  worthy  and  consistent 
member  of  the  Evangelical  church,  died 
October  28,   1894. 

Politically  Mr.  \'on  Ohlen  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  being  reared  in  the  faith  of  that 
party,  and  with  which  he  has  been  identified 
ever  since  he  cast  his  first  ballot  in  1864 
for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  elected  and 
served  as  commissioner  of  highwa3-s  for 
twelve  years,  and  has  also  served  as  town- 
ship trustee  and  school  trustee,  and  is  yet 
filling  the  latter  office.  In  1894  he  was 
elected  supervisor  of  Squaw  Grove  town- 
ship, re-elected  in  1896,  and  also  in  1898, 
and  is  now  serving  his  third  term.  He  has 
made  a  valuable  member  of  the  board,  serv- 
ing on  several  important  committees,  in- 
cluding the  finance  committee,  equalization 
of  personal  property,  and  of  fees  and  salaries, 
being  chairman  of  the  latter  committee. 
Religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal church,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  Mason, 
and  also  a  member  of  Aurora  Post,  No.  20, 
G.  A.  R.  For  forty-three  years  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  has  wit- 


nessed its  wonderful  growth,  contributing 
his  full  share  to  its  development.  He  is 
well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the 
county,  and  no  man  stands  higher  in  the 
estimation  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


PATRICK  BROCK,  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, but  who  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  was  born  in 
Dublin,  Ireland,  December  13,  1830.  In 
the  winter  of  1842,  when  but  a  lad  of 
twelve,  he  immigrated  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  New  York,  where  he  engaged  in 
stage  driving.  After  residing  there  three 
years,  he  removed  to  New  Jersey,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  white 
lead,  remaining  here  until  1855,  at  which 
time  he  determined  to  come  west,  believing 
that  a  better  chance  for  worldly  success 
could  be  had  in  the  then  newly  opened  up 
states.  On  coming  west  he  located  in  De 
Kalb  county,  where  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  and  at  once  commenced  its 
improvement.  As  the  country  was  new, 
the  land  wild  and  unimproved,  Mr.  Brock 
had  a  task  before  him.  But  like  many  of 
his  countrymen  in  De  Kalb  county,  he 
was  anxious  and  determined  to  make  for 
himself  and  family  a  comfortable  home. 
By  perseverance,  industry  and  economy, 
Mr.  Brock  succeeded  beyond  all  expecta- 
tions. He  purchased  more  land,  still  more, 
adding  acre  to  acre,  while  land  was  low,  and 
at  one  time  owned  some  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  When  land  took  a  boom  in  later 
years,  Mr.  Brock  was  ready  to  sell,  and  did 
sell  at  a  great  advance.  Every  dollar  put 
out  brought  in  at  least  two.  After  dispos- 
ing of  his  farm,  he  purchased  property  in  the 
city  of  De  Kalb,  and  is  yet  the  owner  of 
several  houses  in  the  city. 


44 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Mr.  Brock  was  married  April  26,  185 1, 
to  Miss  Catherine  Fitzpatrick,  also  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  a  most  estimable  lady,  and 
and  to  them  were  born  eight  children,  five 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  are  an  honor 
to  the  parents  who  reared  them.  Their 
names  are  Mary  Ann,  Bridget,  Elizabeth, 
Agnes  and  Lawrence.  Mrs.  Brock  passed 
from  this  life  September  11,  1894,  and  her 
death  was  greatly  mourned  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends.  She  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  of  which 
her  husband  and  family  are  also  members. 
Politically  Mr.  Brock  is  a  democrat,  and 
has  supported  that  party  since  becoming  a 
naturalized  citizen.  He  is  a  man  much 
respected  by  his  fellow-citizens,  because 
of  his  many  sterling  qualities  of  head  and 
heart. 

CH.ARLES  O.  BOYNTON,  of  Sycamore. 
Illinois,  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  term.  The  family  are  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  but  were  probably  descendants 
of  the  Norman-French  in  earlier  generations. 
The  earliest  member  of  the  family  known  in 
England  was  Bartholomew  de  Boynton,  of 
Boynton,  lord  of  the  manor,  in  1607.  As 
the  name  would  indicate  Norman-French 
origin,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  sotne  of 
the  ancestors  came  over  with  William  the 
Conquerer.  The  family  is  extensive  in 
England,  where  some  of  its  members  for 
man}-  generations  have  held  positions  of 
honor  and  trust.  The  first  of  the  name  in 
America  were  William  and  John  Bo\nton, 
who  came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  in 
1638,  one  settling  in  Massachusetts  and  the 
other  in  Vermont.  Our  subject  is  a  de- 
scendant of  the  latter. 

Of  the  immediate  ancestors,  Abraham 
Boynton,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  is  the 


earliest  of  whom  anything  definitely'  is 
known.  He  was  probably  born  in  \'erniont, 
where  it  is  known  that  most  of  his  life  was 
spent.  In  1828,  he  moved  with  his  son 
John,  to  Tompkins  county,  New  York,  and 
there  died  at  an  advanced  age.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Marsh  and  became  the  father  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  John,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Rockingham,  Windham  county,  Vermont, 
a  short  distance  above  Bellows  Falls,  July 
2,  1798.  He  there  lived  until  1828,  when 
he  removed  to  Tompkins  county.  New  York. 
In  early  life  he  was  a  carpenter  and  jcjiner 
by  trade,  and  although  his  school  advantages 
were  meager,  he  was  possessed  of  a  clear, 
strong  mind,  and  was  a  great  reader  and 
student.  Being  of  a  thrifty  disposition,  he 
accumulated  enough  from  the  proceeds  of 
his  trade  to  enter  upon  mercantile  pursuits 
in  McLean,  New  York.  Success  crowned 
him  in  that  work,  and  from  his  profits  he 
purchased  land  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  possessed  of  large  farming  interests. 
By  William  H.  Seward,  who  was  then  gov- 
ernor of  New  York,  he  was  appointed  judge 
of  the  circuit  court,  and  served  with  distinc- 
tion. He  was  a  man  whose  opinions  had 
great  weight  with  all  who  came  in  contact 
with  him.  His  death  occurred  April  28, 
1869,  at  his  home  in  Tompkins  county. 
New  York.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Elizabeth  Davis,  of  Rock- 
ingham, Vermont,  who  was  of  a  family 
known  for  their  mental  and  bodily  vigor, 
many  of  them  being  distinguished  in  profes- 
sional and  business  life.  She  was  one  of 
twelve  children.  One  of  the  number  served 
two  terms  as  mayor  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Betsy  Davis,  as  she  was  called,  was  born  in 
1797,  and  died  in  1834,  in  the  prime  of  life, 
leaving  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


45 


living — Charles  O.,  our  subject;  Laura  Carr, 
of  Jersey  City;  and  Lydia  Jarvis,  of  Elgin, 
Illinois.  The  father  married  a  second  time, 
Miss  Ann  Pitts,  by  whom  two  children  were 
born,  one  surviving,  Edward,  now  engaged 
in  business  in  Sycamore. 

Charles  O.  BoNnton  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Rockingham,  Windham  county,  \'ermont, 
July  19,  1 826,  and  was  but  two  years  of 
age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Tompkins 
county.  New  York.  He  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  attended  the  district  schools  and 
the  Homer  Academy  until  the  age  of  si.xteen 
years.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  in 
the  work  of  the  farm,  and  also  in  the  store 
at  McLean,  until  he  attained  his  majority. 
In  September,  1847,  he  came  west  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  his  own  name,  although  the 
store  was  partly  owned  bj-  another  person. 
Closing  out  his  interests  there,  in  Februarv, 
1849,  he  came  to  Sycamore,  where  he 
opened  a  general  store,  and  continued  for 
three  years.  Seeing  a  better  opportunity 
in  financial  fields,  he  secured  funds  in  the 
east  at  the  low  rate  of  interest  prevailing 
there,  and  loaned  it  in  the  west  at  a  higher 
rate.  He  continued  in  that  business  for 
some  twenty  years,  and  by  good  manage- 
ment prospered  beyond  the  usual  success  of 
men.  In  1871  he  engaged  in  the  banking 
business,  as  a  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Divine  &  Boynton,  but  after  one  year  sold 
his  interest  and  has  since  been  interested  in 
land  speculations.  He  now  owns  some 
sixty  thousand  acres  of  fine  timber  land  in 
Arkansas,  covered  with  hard  wood  timber, 
much  of  it  being  walnut.  On  his  land, 
among  other  large  trees,  there  is  a  black 
walnut  tree  eight  feet  in  diameter.  On 
the  property  he  has  lately  erected  a  large 
mill,    with    the    capacity   of    about    twenty 


thousand  feet,  the  lumber  from  which  he 
sends  to  the  best  markets  in  the  south  and 
west.  Also  owns  about  fifteen  thousand 
acres  in  Iowa,  Minnesota,  North  and  South 
Dakota  and  Kansas.  He  also  owns  some 
two  thousand  acres  of  fine  farming  land  in 
northern  Illinois,  the  garden  spot  of  the 
Great  Central  Valley. 

Mr.  Boynton  was  married  in  Ledyard, 
New  York,  November  26,  1861,  to  Miss  Lu- 
cetta  P.  Stark,  daughter  of  Paul  and  Paul- 
ine (Billings)  Stark,  both  of  Tunkhannock, 
Pennsylvania,  the  latter  being  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children.  Paul  Stark  was  born  in 
1802,  and  died  in  1S73.  in  Ledyard,  New 
York,  to  which  place  he  had  removed  on 
retiring  from  active  life.  The  first  Ameri- 
can ancestor  was  Aaron  Stark,  who  resided 
near  the  head  of  Mystic  river,  and  whose 
death  occurred  in  New  London,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1685.  He  was  first  mentioned  in 
Hartford,  in  1639,  and  in  Windsor,  in  1643, 
and  at  Mystic,  in  1653.  He  was  elected 
freeman  in  1666,  at  Stonington,  Connecti- 
cut, and  also  at  New  London,  Connecticut, 
in  1669.  His  son  William,  whose  birth  is 
not  given,  died  September  8,  1730.  His  son 
Christopher,  the  oldest  of  five  children, 
lived  in  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  but 
moved  to  Wyoming  Valley  in  1769,  and 
died  in  1771.  Christopher's  son,  William, 
moved  from  Dutchess  county,  and  located 
on  Tuckhatinock  creek,  where  he  married 
Polly  Care}',  and  died  in  1795,  but  was 
buried  at  Joshua,  New  York.  Nathan,  son 
of  William,  father  of  Paul,  was  eldest  of  a 
family  of  eleven  children.  He  was  born 
December  24,  1768,  and  died  May  23,  1837. 
He  married  Dorcas  Dixon,  bj-  whom  he 
had  several  children.  After  her  death  he 
married  Rachel  Hewett,  but  by  this  last 
marriage  there  was  no  issue. 


46 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boynton  four  children 
have  been  born,  one  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. Charles  Douglass  lately  closed  his 
bank  in  Carroll.  Iowa,  to  take  charge  of  the 
mills  and  lumber  interests  of  his  father,  in 
Arkansas.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Frederick 
B.  Townsend,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Elmer  resides  with 
his  parents  in  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Boynton  was  formerly  a  Mason  and 
Odd  Fellow,  but  has  been  dimitted  from 
each  order.  In' politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
but  independent  of  party  lash,  always  refus- 
ing to  give  support  to  candidates  not  cred- 
itable to  party.  Under  the  old  organization 
he  served  as  chairman  of  the  city  board, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors.  Religiously  Mrs.  Boynton  is  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  As  a 
citizen,  he  is  enterprising  in  all  things,  and 
as  already  stated,  is  truly  a  self-made  man. 
He  never  received  a  dollar  from  his  par- 
ents, although  he  was  given  the  help  of  his 
father's  credit  in  starting  in  business.  All 
that  he  has  was  acquired  by  his  own  brain 
and  energy,  and  his  success  has  been  mar- 
velous when  compared  with  others  who  have 
started  out  in  life  well  acquipded  with  funds, 
and  given  many  opportunities.  Few  attain 
his  success  in  material  wealth.  Mr.  Boyn- 
ton has  one  of  the  finest  residences  and 
grounds  in  De  ICalb  countj'.  He  also  built 
and  presented  to  his  daughter  the  house  ad- 
joing  the  one  in  which  he  lives,  and  both 
together  make  a  desirable  addition  to  any 
community. 


HON.  CHARLES  A.  BISHOP,  judge 
of  the  sixteenth  judicial  circuit  of  Illi- 
nois, residing  at  Sycamore,  takes  rank 
among  the  ablest  members  of    the  bar  in 


northern  Illinois.  Upright,  reliable  and 
honorable,  his  strict  adherence  to  principle 
commands  the  respect  of  all.  The  place 
he  has  won  in  the  legal  profession  is  ac- 
corded him  in  recognition  of  his  skill  and 
ability,  and  the  place  he  occupies  in  the 
social  world  is  a  tribute  to  that  genuine 
worth  and  true  nobleness  of  character 
which  are  universally  recognized  and  hon- 
ored. 

He  was  born  September  26,  1854,  and 
is  the  son  of  Adolphus  and  Joanna  (Wil- 
lett)  Bishop.  His  father  is  a  native  of 
Kings  county.  Nova  Scotia,  born  May  26, 
1829,  and  is  the  son  of  Gordon  Bishop, 
also  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  who  was  a 
son  of  Captain  William  Bishop,  Jr.,  who 
was  a  son  of  Captain  William  Bishop,  Sr. , 
who  was  a  son  of  John  Bishop,  Sr.  John 
l)ishop,  Sr. ,  after  the  French  were  e.xpelled 
from  Nova  Scotia,  upon  invitation  of  Gov- 
ernor Lawrence,  was  one  of  the  colonists 
who  took  possession  of  the  lands  previously 
occupied  by  the  French  Canadians.  Ac- 
cordingly many  came  from  the  British  col- 
onies along  the  Atlantic  shore  to  different 
parts  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  John  Bishop,  Sr., 
was  one  of  these  men  who  came  from  Con- 
necticut to  Horton,  Nova  Scotia,  with  his 
four  sons,  about  the  year  1762.  His  four 
sons  who  went  with  him  from  Connecticut 
were  Colonel  John  Bishop,  Captain  William 
Bishop,  Peter  Bishop  and  Timothy  Bishop. 

Gordon  Bishop,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  and  died 
in  Kings  county.  Nova  Scotia.  His  wife 
was  Louisa  Oaks,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children:  Eunice  Ann,  Mary  Eliza,  Adol- 
phus, Edward,  James  L.,  Allen,  Ainsley 
and  Charles  A.,  all  of  whom  are  living  ex- 
cept  Eunice   Ann,   Edward  and  Charles  A. 

Adolphus  Bishop,  the  father  of  our  sub- 


HON.  CHARLES  A.   BISHOP. 


LI8R-KY 

OF  TuE 

UNIVERSllY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


49 


ject.  is  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  is  now 
living  in  Grand  Pre,  Nova  Scotia.  Joanna 
(Willett)  Bishop,  his  wife,  was  born  at  An- 
napoh's.  Nova  Scotia,  August  27,  1833. 
They  were  married  at  Horton,  Nova  Sco- 
tia. March  30,  1852.  Adolphus  Bishop  was 
born  May  26,  1829.  Joanna  died  Novem- 
ber 3,  1 86 1.  Of  that  marriage  were  born 
Charles  Alford  Bishop,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  David  Averd  Bishop  and  Franklin 
Willett  Bishop.  Franklin  Willett  Bishop 
died  July  4,  1894.  David  A.  is  living  at 
Truro,  Nova  Scotia. 

For  his  second  wife  Adolphus  Bishop 
married  Mary  E.  Willett,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children,  Ernest  A.  Bishop,  who  died 
in  infancy,  and  Nellie  May  Bishop,  who 
died  December  i,  1896,  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one years.  Mary  E.,  the  mother,  died 
October  3,  1890.  .Adolphus  Bishop  mar- 
ried for  his  third  wife  Louise  Faulkner. 
No  issue  of  third  marriage. 

Judge  Charles  A.  Bishop,  received  his 
primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Nova  Scotia:  attended  the  Academy  at 
Acadia,  and  from  there  went  to  the  Acad- 
emy at  Mt.  Allison,  Sackville,  New  Bruns- 
wick, where  he  took  a  special  course  of 
three  years.  He  then  became  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  Sackville  (or  a  term  of 
two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
started  for  the  west,  locating  at  Sycamore, 
Illinois.  June  i,  1878:  read  law  in  the  office 
of  H.  A.  Jones  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  June,  1880.  He  then  formed  a  part- 
nership wiih  his  preceptor,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Junes  iS;  Bishop,  which  partnership 
was  continued  until  October  19,  1886.  In 
1 886  Judge  Bishop  was  a  candidate  before 
the  Republican  convention  for  the  office  of 
county   judge  of  De  Kalb  county,    but   his 

nomination  was  defeated'bv  political  com- 
3 


binations.  when  he  ran  as  an  independent 
candidate  and  was  elected,  receiving  major- 
ities in  fourteen  of  the  eighteen  townships 
of  the  county.  In  1890  he  was  nominated 
by  the  Republican  convention  by  acclama- 
tion for  the  same  office  and  was  re-elected. 
He  was  again  nominated  by  acclamation  in 
1894:  was  elected  and  served  until  1897, 
when  he  resigned  the  office  of  county  judge 
of  De  Kalb  county,  having  been  nomi- 
nated for  circuit  judge  in  the  twelfth  dis- 
trict February  3,  1897.  .\fier  the  judicial 
re-appointment  he  was  re-nominated  in 
May  for  the  si.xteenth  district,  which  is  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  De  Kalb,  Kane, 
Du  Page  and  Kendall,  and  elected  in  June 
following. 

Judge  Bishop  was  married  August  25, 
1S80,  to  Parmelia,  daughter  of  Major  Evans 
and  Martha  1  Smith)  Wharry,  of  Sycamore. 
She  was  a  native  of  Sycamore,  a  graduate 
of  Wellesley  College,  New  York.  She  died 
April  13,  1S89,  her  death  being  mourned  by 
a  large  circle  of  friends.  The  Judge  was 
again  married  November  25,  1890,  to  Mar- 
tha E.  Stuart,  daughter  of  Charles  T.  and 
Nancy  D.  (  Hutchins  Stuart.  Her  father, 
Charles  T.  Stuart,  was  the  son  of  Nathan 
and  Roxanna  (Phelps)  Stuart,  and  was  born 
April  13,  1S19.  He  died  October  13,  1892, 
leaving  surviving  him  Nancy  D.  Stuart,  his 
widow,  and  Martha  E.  Stuart  and  Charles 
H.  Stuart,  his  children.  Nancy  D.  Stuart 
wa.s  the  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Nancy 
I  Dillingham)  Hutchins,  and  is  the  niece  of 
ex-Governor  Paul  Dillingham,  of  \'ermont. 
Nancy  D.  Stuart  was  born  June  29,  1826, 
and  is  still  living. 

The  children  of  the  second  marriage  of 
Judge  Bishop  are  Stuart  A.,  born  .\ugust  2  i, 
1892,  and  Marian  O.,  born  January  7.  1896. 
Mrs.  Bishop  is  a  lady  of  culture   and  letine- 


50 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


iiu  111,  iloniestic  in  her  tastes,  and  much  de- 
\'(itf<l  to  hor  family.  The  Jiulgo  and  his 
wife  attend  the  t'on^iejiatiiinal  chinch. 

l'"ratoinail\'  the  Jiuif^e  is  a  member  of 
.Sycamore  Lodge.  No.  134,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
.Sycamore  Chapter,  No.  49,  K.  A.  M.,  Syca- 
more Comtnandery,  No.  15,  K.  T.,  is  a 
member  of  Mediiiah  Temple,  A.  A.  O., 
Nol)les  of  the  Mjstic  Shrine,  and  is  past 
hi^'h  priest  of  Sycamore  Chapter  and  past 
eminent  commander  of  Sycamore  Com- 
niandery;  member  of  Sycamore  Lodge,  No. 
105.  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of  the  EUwood  Encamp- 
ment of  Odd  Fellows,  and  also  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America. 

Jndge  Bishop  is  the  possessor  of  the 
sword  worn  by  his  great-grandfather.  Cap- 
tain William  Bishop,  at  the  time  he  was 
captured  by  an  .American  privateer  in  Minas 
Basin.  Captain  William,  who  was  captain 
of  a  company  of  militia,  when  he  saw  the 
privateer  coming  up  the  bay,  got  some  of 
his  men  together,  manned  a  vessel  that  was 
faulty,  and  went  out  to  give  battle  to  the 
privateer.  They  were  soon,  however,  cap- 
tured and  placed  in  the  hold  of  the  privateer 
in  irons.  Captain  William,  during  the  first 
night,  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  his  irons 
and  releasing  his  men,  conceived  the  idea 
of  capturing  the  crew  of  the  privateer; 
being  physically  a  giant  in  strength,  he  went 
on  deck,  followed  b}'  his  crew  armed  with 
whatever  the\'  could  get.  Captain  William 
grappled  with  the  guard,  fell  (jn  the  deck 
holding  the  man  over  liim,  and  when  the 
crew  of  the  vessel  tried  to  baj'onet  him  he 
would  shield  himself  with  the  guard  by 
moving  him  from  side  to  side.  The  struggle 
was  short.  The  crew  of  the  privateer 
being  taken  by  surprise  were  soon  captured, 
and  Captain  Bishop  and  his  crew  had  con- 
trol    shortly     of     the    vessel,     which     they 


brought  into  port,  where  WoH\ill<-,  Nova 
Srotia,  now  is;  anil  the  sword  w.irii  li\  hini 
on  that  occasion  has  brcii  li.inilcii  iliiwn  lo 
till'  oldest  in  the  faiiiil}',  and  is  iio.v  m  llic 
possession  of    judge  l)ishoj>. 

While  Judge  Iiishop  was  scrxing  as 
count}'  judge  of  De  Kalb  county  he  also 
assisted  Jutlge  Scales  and  |iidge  Carter,  of 
Cook  county,  for  about  two  years,  and  has 
also  presidetl  at  intervals  on  the  circuit 
bench  of  Cook  county  since  his  election  to 
the  circuit  bench. 

The  Judge  is  a  tine  specimen  of  physical 
manhood,  si,\  feet  four  and  one-half  inches 
in  height,  average  weight  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  commanding  appearance,  of 
pleasing  address  and  affable  manner.  He  is 
a  good  lawyer,  and  as  a  judge  is  impartial 
and  careful  in  his  rulings,  and  is  giving  sat- 
isfaction to  the  bar  and  the  people. 


ISAAC  S.  WOODS,  supervisor  of  Afton 
township,  and  a  leading  farmer  of  the 
township,  is  a  native  of  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  May  17,  1835,  and  is 
the  son  of  David  H.  and  Catherine  (Camp- 
bellj  Woods,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  who  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  deceased.  Those 
living  are  Hannah,  Cynthia,  David,  Martha, 
Catherine  and  Isaac  S.  The  Woods  are  of 
Scotch  Irish  descent,  but  were  early  settlers 
of  the  United  States.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Cum- 
berland county,  Penns)  Ivania.  and  was  with 
Daniel  Boone  in  Kentucky.  In  April,  1844, 
the  father  moved  with  his  family  to  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  and  two  years  later  came 
to  Illinois,  locating  in  Kendall  countw  where 
he  purchased  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  wild    land,    whi^h    he   proceeded    to   im- 


THi:    IMOGRAPHICAL    RiiCORE 


51 


prove,  and  where  liis  death  occurred  luiie 
5,    1849,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to 
farm  life,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
district-schools  of  Ohio  and  Illinois,  princi- 
pally in  Kendall  countw  He  remained  on 
the  old  homestead  until  after  attaining  his 
majority,  assisting  in  the  cultixation  of  the 
farm.  On  the  20th  of  December,  1865,  he 
married  Miss  Pluma  E.  Ovitt,  a  native  of 
Kendall  count}-,  and  a  daughter  O'f  S.  A. 
Ovitt.  Hythis  union  there  are  six  children 
— John  \\'.,  Minnie  E.,  Charles  S.,  Daisy 
A.,  Ida  B.  and  Emma  C.  Of  these  chil- 
dren, John,  Minnie  and  Daisy  have  each  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  the  district  schools, 
and  have  been  quite  successful  teachers. 

In  1865  Mr.  Woods  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  and  located  on  section  34, 
Alton  township.  He  soon  became  quite 
prominent  in  township  affairs,  and  has 
served  as  collector  and  assessor  for  several 
terms,  and  1892  was  elected  supervisor,  re- 
elected in  1894,  1896  and  1898.  He  is 
now  ser\ing  his  fourth  term  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  active  members  of  the 
board,  serving  on  several  of  the  most  im- 
portant committees.  In  politics  he  is  a 
thorough  Republican  and  has  voted  that 
ticket  since  attaining  his  majority.  Relig- 
iously he  and  his  famil}'  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  Waterman, 
in  which  he  takes  an  active  part.  His  farm 
consists  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
its  general  appearance  denotes  the  thrift  of 
its  owner.  No  man  in  Afton  township  has 
more  friends  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


BENJAMIN    F.   ATHERTON,    who  re- 
sides on  section   31,    Shabbona  town- 
ship, has  resided   in  De  Kalb  count}-,  since 


September  29,  1854,  and  now  has  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres,  together 
with  eighty  acres  in  Willow  creek  towiishiii. 
Lee  county,  which  is  just  across  the  county 
line  from  the  home  farm.  He  was  born 
near  Scranton,  Lackawanna  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. October  24.  1828.  and  is  the  son 
of  Joseph  Atherton.  born  in  the  samecountv 
and  state  and  on  the  same  farm.  His  grand- 
father, Eleazer  Atherton,  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  as  was  also  his  great- 
grandfather, Cornelius  .Atherton.  The  Atli- 
ertons  are  of  English  ancestry,  the  original 
ancestor  coming  to  the  New  World  in  1666. 
Colonel  Humphery  Atherton,  with  his  two 
sons,  Rev.  Hope  Atherton  and  James  Ath- 
erton, coming  to  this  country  in  that  year. 
Our  subject  is  a  direct  descendant  of  James 
.\therton,  who  had  twelve  sons,  one  of 
whom,  John,  was  the  father  of  Cornelius. 
The  latter  was  a  pioneer  of  that  part  of 
Luzerne  county  which  is  now  Lackawanna 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  went  to  that 
locality  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  but 
was  compelled  to  retm-n  to  New  York  dur- 
ing that  struggle.  After  the  Revolution,  he 
returned  to  Lackawanna  county,  purchased 
land,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  His  son,  Eleazer,  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, but  in  New  Jersey  married  Martha 
Kenan,  after  which  he  located  upon  the 
old  farm  in  Lackawanna  cotmty,  Pennsyl- 
\-ania,  where  he  reared  his  famil}-  of  nine 
children. 

Joseph  .Atherton  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  county,  and  there  married  Phebe 
\'osburg,  of  German  and  Holland  parent- 
age. Her  father.  Cornelius  \"osburg,  was 
a  resident  of  the  Mohawk  Xallo}-,  and  there 
resided  some  years,  prior  to  his  removal 
to  Pennsylvania.  Joseph  .\therton  resided 
on  the   old    homestead,  a    part  o(   w  lucii  lu: 


52 


thp:  biographical  record. 


inherited,  and  there  died  in  1845,  ^^  the 
age  ol  forty-five  years.  He  was  twice  tnar- 
rit-ii,  his  hrst  wife  dyiii^  ^^  the  a^e  of  tvveii- 
t\-se\eii  \ear.s.  His  hist  wife  snr\  i\eil  him 
some  years. 

The  subject  i>f  this  sketcli  grew  to  iiia- 
tiire^'ears  in  liis  native  county,  and  received 
a  fair  coininon-school  education.  He  re- 
mained on  the  old  home  farm  and  assisted 
in  its  cultivation,  until  Hie  fall  of  1854, 
when,  accompanied  by  his  brother  Charles 
.\therton,  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  join- 
ing an  uncle  who  was  then  living  here.  The 
brothers  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
si.xty-si.x  acres,  on  which  they  erected  a 
small  house,  and  then  set  about  its  further 
improvement.  As  the  years  went  by,  they 
erected  the  various  buildings  now  on  the 
place,  planted  an  orchard,  set  out  forest 
and  shade  trees,  and  also  five  hundred  rods 
of  hedge  fence,  making  of  the  farm  one  of 
the  neatest  and  best  in  the  entire  county. 
Charles  Atherton  remained  single  and  as- 
sisted in  the  cultivation  of  the  place  until 
his  death  in  iSSS.  at  tlie  age  of  lifty-si.\ 
years. 

Mr.  Atherton  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
ail  I  in  \\"\oming  county,  fifteen  miles  from 
Scranton,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1S58, 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Almira 
Maynard,  a  native  of  Wyoming  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Maynard,  of  the  same  county.  She  was 
reared  and  educated  in  her  native  county, 
and  was  a  teacher  in  its  public  schools  pre- 
vious to  her  marriage.  By  this  union  were 
four  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased, 
Blanche  dying  in  infancy,  and  Thomas  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years.  The  living  are 
Ella  and  Joseph,  the  latter  now  assisting 
in  carrying  on  the  home  farm. 

Politically  Mr.  .\therton  is  a  Republican, 


while  his  father  was  an  old-line  Whig,  and 
grandfather  a  stanch  Eederalist.  The  first 
presiiiential  vote  cast  by  our  subject  was 
(or  Ceneral  Wir.field  Scott,  in  1852,  and 
his  second  vote  for  that  office  for  General 
[•"reniont. 

The  only  office  our  subject  has  ever 
held  was  that  of  school  director,  only  ac- 
cepting that  by  reason  of  his  interest  in  the 
public  schools.  His  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  while  the  fam- 
ily in  Pennsylvania  were  Baptists.  Success 
has  crowned  him  in  his  efforts  since  coming 
to  De  Kalb  county,  and  he  is  now  num- 
bered among   the    most  substantial   men  to 


be  found  in  it. 


ELIJAH  CURTIS,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding in  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  Illinois, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  for  forty- 
two  years,  during  which  time  he  has  prin- 
cipally engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
has  also  shown  his  loyalty  to  his  country  by 
a  service  of  nearly  four  years  in  its  army 
during  the  war  for  the  union.  He  was  born 
in  Douglas,  Worcester  county,  Massachu- 
setts, November  23,  1836,  and  is  the  son 
of  Bryant  and  Patience  (Powers)  Curtis. 
Bryant  Curtis  was  a  native  of  Worcester 
county,  Massachusetts,  and  was  born  De- 
cember 4,  1803.  By  occupation  he  was  a 
farmer,  both  in  the  east  and  after  his  com- 
ing to  Illinois.  Locating  in  Aftoii  township, 
De  Kalb  county,  he  lived  a  life  of  useful- 
ness and  respectability,  and  passed  away 
December  8,  1880.  His  wife  was  a  native 
of  Cro3'don.  Sullivan  county.  New  Hamp- 
shire, born  June  11,  1803.  After  proving 
herself  a  companion  meet  for  her  husband  in 
truthfulness  and  love,  she  was  called  to  her 
reward,  March  12,  1876. 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL    RECORD. 


Bryant  Curlis  was  the  son  of  Ebciiezer 
Curtis,  who  earned  for  himself  an  enviable 
reputation  for  his  daring  courage  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  in  which  Burgoynes  army  was  de- 
feated and  captured.  His  descendant,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  owns  a  musket  that 
he  used  in  those  dark  and  troublous  times. 
Mr.  Curtis  has  also  in  his  possession  a  cut- 
lass captured  by  his  great-granduncle  at 
Cape  Town,  South  .Africa.  The  mother  of 
Mr.  Curtis  bad  four  uncles  who  were  en- 
gaged in  defense  of  freedom  and  independ- 
ence at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The 
Curtis  family,  as  (ar  back  as  the  fourth 
generation,  lived  on  land  in  Worcester 
county,  Massachusetts,  deeded  to  them  by 
the  King  of  England- 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  on  a  farm  in  Worcester  coun- 
ty. Massachusetts,  where  he  confined  him- 
self to  agricultural  pursuits.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen,  he  came  to  what  was  then  the 
west,  locating  in  De  Kalb  county.  Illinois. 
Here  he  engaged  as  a  farm  laborer,  work- 
ing by  the  month,  at  which  vocation  he 
continued  until  1859.  when  he  began  to 
work  land  on  shares.  This  he  followed  for 
two  years.  .At  this  period  in  his  life's  his- 
tory, his  country  became  imperiled,  and.  like 
many  others  of  her  brave  and  patriotic  sons. 
Mr.  Curtis  went  forth,  placing  himself  upon 
her  altar,  that  the  nations  integrity  and 
glory  might  be  retained.  How  faithfully  he 
performed  this  sacred  duty,  the  following 
will  attest. 

In  1 861  he  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of 
Company  C.  Fifty- eighth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  G.  W.  Kittell.  captain,  and  W. 
F.  Lynch,  i:olonel.  The  regiment  was  as- 
signed to  the  Second  Division  of  the  Six- 
teenth .Army  Corps,  and  participated  in  the 


battles  of  Fort  DonelsDn.  Shil.-.h.  Corinth. 
Red  River.  Kansas  City.  Nashville,  and 
Bayou  La  Mourie.  .At  Shiloh.  .April  6.  1863, 
Mr.  Curtis  was  wounded  and  was  laid  up 
for  four  months,  during  which  time  he  vis- 
ited his  home,  in  .Afton  tounship.  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois.  After  the  e.xpiration  of  his 
furlough,  he  returned  to  his  command,  then 
stationed  at  Camp  Danville.  Mississippi. 
.At  the  battle  of  Corinth  he  was  again 
wounded  in  the  ankle.  October  4.  1862. 
This  caused  an  absence  of  seven  months, 
during  which  time  he  again  received  a  fur- 
lough to  visit  his  home.  .At  this  time  his 
regiment  was  recruiting  at  Springfield,  and 
he  joined  it  at  that  place.  In  the  winter 
of  1863-4.  his  regiment  joined  Sherman's 
Army  at  Vicksburg.  and  participated  in 
a  raid  through  Mississippi.  At  a  battle 
fought  during  the  Red  River  E.xpedition, 
Nfr.  Curtis  received  another  wound.  May 
16,  1864,  this  time  in  the  thigh.  .After  a 
four  months'  furlough  and  rest,  he  returned 
to  his  command,  then  stationed  at  Jefferson 
Barracks. 

-After  its  brush  with  Price  at  Kansas 
City,  the  Fifty-eighth  returned  to  St.  Louis 
and  shipped  for  Nashville, "to  join  General 
Thomas,  and  arrived  just  in  time  to  engage 
in  a  battle  at  that  place.  The  regiment 
was  then  sent  to  Eastport.  at  which  place 
Mr.  Curtis  left  it.  his  time  having  expired. 
He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Chicago. 
February  7.  1865.  as  sergeant  of  his  com- 
pan\'.  being  promoted  to  that  rank  at  Cor- 
inth. Mississippi,  as  a  reward  for  his  bravery 
in  that  contest.  He  still  carries  the  ball  re- 
ceived at  that  battle.  .At  the  battle  of  Shi- 
loh. his  regiment  was  surrounded  and  after 
a  well  contested  struggle  it  was  obliged  to 
surrender,  but  after  being  imprisoned  seven 
months   it  was   paroled.      .A  brother  of   Mr. 


54 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Curtis  was  a  member  of  Company  G.  Fifty- 
seventh  Massachusetts  \'olunteer  Infantry, 
and  died  in  Uan\  ille,  N'irginia. 

After  his  discharge,  Mr.  Curtis  again 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Clinton 
township,  where  he  owned  forty  acres  of 
land,  which  he  sold  and  bought  eighty  acres, 
and  to  this  he  added  eighty  acres  more  in 
Milan  township,  which  later  he  exchanged 
for  a  valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  acres 
in  Afton  township,  which  he  still  owns,  in 
addition  to  his  fine  city  residence.  On  the 
1st  of  July,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Candace 
E.  Bovee,  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Or- 
pha  (Parks)  Bovee.  She  was  bf)rn  in  Erie 
county.  New  'N'ork,  September  14,  1836. 
Their  wedded  life  was  of  short  duration, 
Mrs.  Curtis  dying  June  27,  1867,  leaving 
one  son,  Uavid  G.  For  his  second  wife 
Mr.  Curtis  married,  .\pril  3,  1879,  Miss 
Juliette  E.  Hurd,  a  native  of  Marion  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  born  August  14,  1844,  and 
a  daughter  of  .\lanson  and  Jerusha  A. 
(Springer)  Hurd,  both  natives  of  New  York 
state.  By  this  imion  two  children  were 
born— Hortense.  September  9,  1880,  and 
Sarah  Elloise.  January  10,  1883.  The 
former  died  October  10,  1884  Mrs.  Julia 
E.  Curtis  departed  this  life  December  i, 
1886,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  For 
his  third  wife.  December  3.  1S91,  Mr. 
Curtis  married  Mrs.  \Vealth\-  M.  White, 
widow  of  James  White,  sergeant  in  the 
Twelfth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantrj',  and 
a  daughter  of  jRobert  Morse  and  Caroline 
Smith,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
York.  By  her  tirst  marriage  she  has  one 
daughter,  Nina,  who  makes  her  home  with 
iier  mother.  Mrs.  Wealthy  .\I.  Curtis  is  a 
lady  of  tine  talents,  a  most  estimable  wife 
atid  loving  mother.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cur- 
tis one  son  has  been  born,  Lelaud   Powers, 


June  15,  1898.  .Mr.  Curtis  traces  his  an- 
cestors back  to  John  Leland,  who  was  anti- 
<]uary  to  King  Henry  VIII,  of  England. 

Politically  Mr.  Curtis  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican and  has  been  honored  b\  his 
friends  and  neighbors  with  several  town 
offices,  serving  as  town  clerk,  road  com- 
missioner, school  director,  all  of  which  he 
filled  with  much  credit.  He  was  formerlj' 
a  member  of  Merritt  Simonds  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  De  Kalb,  of  which  he  served  as 
commander.  In  1896  he  asked  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  Potter  Post.  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Sycamore,  of  which  he  is  now  a  member. 
.Mr.  Curtis  is  of  a  kind  and  loving  disposition 
and  has  the  happy  faculty  of  making  and 
retaining  friends.  By  marriage  his  chil- 
dren and  those  of  President  Fillmore  are 
closelv  related. 


JOSEPH  P.  WAYLAND.  M.  D..  Syca- 
more, Illinois,  has  attained  a  high 
degree  of  success,  both  as  a  physician  and 
surgeon.  He  is  of  the  Homeopathic  school 
of  medicine,  well  read,  not  only  in  the 
authorities  of  his  own  school,  but  in  all 
schools  of  medicine.  He  is  a  native  of 
Kenton  county.  Kentucky,  born  May  4. 
1841.  and  resided  in  his  native  county 
until  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  .Aspen  Grove  Academy,  attend- 
ing the  latter  institution  from  the  age 
of  seventeen  until  he  attained  his  major- 
ity. He  then  went  to  Hebron,  Indiana, 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  and  where 
he  remained  for  eight  years,  in  the  mean- 
time studying  medicine,  and  attending  lec- 
tures at  the  (  incinnati  Pultz  Medical  Col- 
lege. In  1870  he  removed  to  Byron.  Ogle 
county.  Illinois,  where    lie  engaged  in  prac- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


5=; 


tice  for  twenty  years.  In  1S77  8  he  en- 
tered Hahnemann  Medical  College,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1878.  At  Byron 
and  Stillman  \'alley  he  built  up  a  good 
practice,  but  believing  Sycamore  to  be  a 
better  field,  he  removed  to  that  place  in 
1890,  and  now  has  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice,  and  has  the  respect  of  the  medical 
fraternit\"  of  the  place,  and  the  people  in 
general. 

Dr.  Wayland  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Way- 
land,  who  was  born  in  Cuipeper  county, 
\'irginia,  September  9,  1778.  and  who  by 
occupation  was  a  farmer  during  his  entire 
life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  because  of  his  dis- 
like for  slavery  removed  to  Kentucky,  in 
I  797.  His  removal  was  hastened  from  the 
fact  that  his  father  desired  him  to  take 
charge  of  a  large  plantation  on  which  there 
were  many  slaves.  Being  firmly  convinced 
that  no  man  had  the  right  to  hold  another  in 
bondage,  and  that  a  human  being  was  not 
subject  to  property  rights,  he  declined  to 
accede  to  the  wishes  of  his  father.  This 
made  the  father  angry,  and  the  son  left 
home,  going  to  Kentucky.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  latter  became  a  slave  state,  and 
that  he  was  always  surrounded  by  slaves, 
he  never  owned  one,  nor  would  he  receive 
one  hundred  and  fifty  of  them  left  by  his 
father  on  his  death.  His  action  displeased 
his  relatives,  especiallx  when  he  publich 
advocated  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  de- 
nied their  right  to  hold  human  chattels.  He 
predicted  a  great  war  over  the  question  of 
slavery,  and  frequently  told  our  subject  that 
he  would  live  to  see  it.  even  if  he,  the 
lather,  should  not.  His  death  occurred 
November  17,  1850.  a  decade  before  the 
predicted  war  began.  In  politics  he  was  a 
strong    Whig,    while    bitterly    anti-slavery. 


He  inariied  Nancy  Masses,  a  iiati\e  of 
Orange  county,  X'irginia,  born  August  20, 
1792,  and  died  September  13,  1864,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Edward  Massey,  who  married 
a  Miss  Timberlake,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  \'irginia.  Edward  Masse\',  with 
four  brothers,  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Joseph  and  Nancy  Wayland  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  youngest. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Henr\-  Wayland,  was  a  native  of  German}', 
who  settled  in  \'irginia  early  in  the  eight- 
eenth century,  and  who  became  a  large 
land  owner  and  also  the  owner  of  many 
slaves.  At  his  death  he  left  each  of  his 
seven  sons  and  two  daughters  large  planta- 
tions and  one  hundred  and  fifty  slaves  each. 
His  wife  was  Miss  Nancy  Phinks. 

Dr.  Wayland  was  first  married  in  Pen- 
dleton county,  Kentucky,  in  1861,  to  Miss 
Belle  Cook,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Cook, 
who  married  a  Miss  Mains  By  this  union 
were  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  \et 
living.  Etta  married  Abraham  Hannaker, 
b)  whom  she  has  four  children:  Chellis. 
Morris,  Clinton  and  Belle.  They  reside  in 
Spencer,  South  Dakota.  Belle  married 
Clarence  Mack,  by  whom  she  has  two  chil- 
dren, Elsa  and  Earl.  They  reside  at  Mon- 
roe. Illinois.  Clara  resides  at  home.  The 
Doctor's  second  marriage  was  when  he  re- 
sided in  Hebron,  Indiana.  He  there  mar- 
ried Mary  Jane  Kithcart.  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Kithcart,  who  married  Phebe  Ann 
Youngs.  They  came  to  Hebron  from  .Ash- 
land county.  Ohio.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Chellis  and  .Alwilda,  the  latter  now 
bemg  the  wife  of  G.  .\.  Dayton,  of  .\ustin. 
Illinois.  They  have  one  son,  Wilbur 
Wavland. 


^6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Ill  pLililics  Di.  \\  ayland  is  a  Republican, 
I'lit  prohibition  in  sentiineiit.  While  re- 
sidinj;  ill  Hyron  he  was  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  town,  and  also 
held  the  office  of  school  director.  For 
several  terms  he  served  as  coroner  of  Ogle 
county.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masons,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  .America  and  Knights 
of  the  Globe.  He  is  one  of  Sycamore's 
honored  and  \alued  citizens,  his  upright 
and  honoiable  career  having  won  for  him 
the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact  either  in  pro- 
fessional or  social  life. 


JACOB  HAISH.  the  originator  and  in- 
ventor of  the  barb  wire  and  the  auto- 
matic machine  used  in  its  manufacture,  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  term  is  a  self-made 
man.  With  limited  opportunities  for  study, 
or  for  the  e.xercise  of  any  special  talent,  he 
has  made  a  name  that  has  brought  him 
national  fame  and  honors  that  were  little 
dreamed  of  when  as  a  boy  and  youth  he 
struggled  with  adverse  fortune.  For  years 
his  manufactory  at  De  Kalb.  Illinois,  has 
been  one  of  the  noted  institutions  of  the 
city  and  state,  where  he  has  turned  out 
millions  of  pounds  of  barb  wire  of  various 
patterns,  including  the  "  Eli  "  barb,  the  "S" 
barb  and  the  "Glidden  "  barb.  But  he  has 
not  confined  himself  alone  to  the  manufact- 
ure of  barb  wire,  but  has  likewise  made  a 
specialty  of  the  manufacture  of  woven  wire 
fencing,  plain  wire,  staples,  nails,  the  Rus- 
tler disk  harrows,  tubular  steel  and  wood 
beam  hustler  lever  harrows,  barrel  carts, 
bob  sleds,  etc.  His  manufactory  has  been 
a    veritable    hive    of    industrv,    and    he    has 


given  eiiiployiiient  lo  liiiiidreds  "i  nieii  at 
good,  li\  iiig  wages. 

Jacob  Haish  was  born  near  Colsul. 
Baden,  Germany,  March  9,  1S27,  and  is  the 
son  of  Christian  and  Christina  Haish,  na- 
tives of  Germany,  who  emigrated  with  their 
family  to  .Vmerica,  in  1836,  when  Jacob 
was  but  nine  years  of  age.  They  located 
in  the  ?oiith  part  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  remained  but  a  short  time,  during 
which,  how  ever,  the  wife  and  mother  passed 
away,  leaving  Jacob,  but  ten  years  of  age, 
an  age,  indeed,  when  all  boys  should  have 
the  protecting  care  of  mother  to  shield  them 
from  the  dangers  which  beset  their  path. 
The  father  with  his  motherless  children  soon 
removed  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres' in  the 
woods,  with  the  Indians  for  his  neighbors, 
and  entered  upon  the  herculean  task  of  sub- 
duing it. 

Christian  Haish  was  by  trade  a  carpen- 
ter, and  his  son,  our  subject,  soon  acquired 
a  full  knowledge  of  that  trade.  On  the 
farm,  however,  he  lived  and  worked,  alter- 
nating his  labors  by  attending  school  and 
using  the  plane  and  saw  till  he  attained  his 
twentieth  \ear.  In  1846,  he  left  the  pa- 
ternal roof,  turned  his  face  towards  the  set- 
ting sun,  and  finally  located  at  Naperville, 
Du  Page  county,  Illinois,  where  he  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  for  several  seasons. 
^^'hile  li\ing  in  Du  Page  county,  Mr.  Haish 
formed  the  first  partnership  of  his  life  in  the 
person  of  Miss  Sophie  Ann  Brown,  with 
whom  he  was  united  in  marriage,  May  24, 
1847.  This  partnership  has  never  been 
dissolved,  but  has  become  stronger  by  the 
(light  of  years.  Mrs.  Haish  is  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  .March  10,  1829.  She  has 
proved  herself  a  helpmeet,  and  a  true  and 
faithful  wife,  not   only  in  the  palmy  days  of 


I 


JACOB   HAISH. 


LIBRARY 
OF  ToE 

L'N!ViR£!TY  Of  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


59 


luxury,  but  in  the  stern  and  stirring  days  of 
opposition  and  competition,  which  try  the 
temper  and  disposition  of  man. 

One  year  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Haish 
removed  to  Pierce  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty", where  he  carried  on  farming  for  some 
three  years.  In  1854,  he  mo\ed  into  the 
village  of  De  Kalb,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade.  After  his  first  one  hundred  dollars 
were  saved,  he  purchased  a  bill  of  lumber, 
and  from  that  time  began  to  contract  and 
build,  a  business  which  he  followed  success- 
fully for  fifteen  years.  It  was  while  in  this 
business  that  Mr.  Haish  was  annoyed  bj- 
the  farmers  who  were  an.xious  to  secure 
sound  boards  for  fencing,  strong  enough  to 
resist  brute  force.  This  brought  to  his 
mind  the  first  idea  of  a  fence.  He  first 
began  by  weaving  osage  on  a  fence  so  that 
the  thorns  would  prick  the  stock.  This 
was  not  practical,  however,  but  opened  up 
the  way  to  new  fields  of  speculation  and 
invention.  Mr.  Haish  next  conceived  the 
idea  of  making  ■'  thorns  "  of  wire,  but  using 
only  one  wire,  it  slipped  and  proved  unsat- 
isfactor}-.  This  was  in  1873.  He  next 
thought  of  putting  two  wires  together,  form- 
a  twist,  with  the  barb  between  them,  when 
"presto      we  have  the  barb  wire  complete. 

Mr.  Haish  first  made  the  wire  in  sections, 
thinking  that  to  be  used  for  fencing  pur- 
poses it  must  be  so  constructed.  Each  sec- 
tion was  sixteen  feet  long.  He  put  one  side 
the  first  section  that  he  constructed,  think- 
ing nothing  more  of  it  until  a  farmer  came 
in  one  day  and  ofl^ered  him  fifty  cents  for 
it,  but  on  this  wire  he  secured  a  patent  Jan- 
uary 20,  1874.  He  next  conceived  the  idea 
of  inventing  an  automatic  machine  to  make 
his  fence  wire.  This  machine  must  form 
the  twist,  spool,  put  in  the  barb,  and  thus 
complete  the  fence.      Mr.  Haish  was   urged 


b>  his  tiieiids  to  abandon  his  project  as 
chimerical,  but  he  could  not  be  turned 
aside,  for,  with  a  vision  of  a  prophet,  he 
looked  down  the  vista  of  time  and  saw  re- 
vealed unto  him  the  midday  glory  and  tri- 
umph of  the  fair  and  shapely  form  of  the 
••S"  barb,  which  was  all  this  time  taking 
shape  and  comeliness  in  the  evolutions  of 
his  mind.  He  was  advised  by  his  counsel 
to  enter  a  caveat  to  secure  his  right,  but 
the  time  ran  out  before  he  applied  for  a 
patent,  thus  throwing  him  out  of  his  right 
to  the  machine.  He  then  had  it  manufac- 
tured by  a  mechanic,  who  patented  it,  and 
sold  the  right  to  Mr.  Haish.  In  this  way 
he  secured  his  original  machine. 

The  summary  of  the  matter  is  this: 
Mr.  Haish  introduced  one  of  the  first  suc- 
cessful barb  wires:  he  made  the  first 
wooden  spool  upon  which  the  wire  is 
coiled:  he  used  the  first  paint  or  varnish; 
he  shipped  the  first  spool  by  rail  or  water; 
and  introduced  it  into  eight  states,  before 
any  other  man  had  shipped  any.  He  also 
introduced  the  first  automatic  machine  for 
manufacturing  the  barb  wire,  but  he  was 
not  to  have  his  rights  without  a  severe  con- 
test, and  no  contest  over  a  patent  right  was 
ever  so  widely  advertised,  never  so  stub- 
bornly contested,  and  ne\er  so  courage- 
ously defended.  Mr.  Haish  believed  with 
all  his  heart  that  he  was  right,  and  on  the 
strength  of  that  belief  he  advanced,  he 
fought,  he  conquered.  During  all  this 
time  the  "S"  barb  went  rejoicing  on  its 
way,  gaining  strength  and  friends  in  its 
onward  march.  Now,  in  ripe  manhood, 
Mr.  Haish  can  look  back  and  see  in  his  far 
reaching  sagacity,  the  vast  importance  of 
his  new  and  cherished  industry,  the  Haish 
Manufacturing  Company  of  De  Kalb. 

Mr.    Haish  enjoys   the  finest   and   most 


6o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


palatial  residence  in  the  city  of  De  Kalb. 
This  grand  and  imposing  edilice  he  con- 
reived  in  his  own  fertile  brain.  Even  the 
beautiful  and  e.xquisite  artistic  desigii.-i  which 
adorn  the  walls  and  ceiiinj;s  of  his  house 
were  first  planned  by  himself  and  have  a 
history  or  point  a  moral.  The  painting  on 
the  dome — the  four  seasons — is  magnificent 
and  imposing.  There  is  indeed  harm(jn)- 
all  through  the  interior  of  this  beautiful 
and  comfortable  home.  But  the  harmony 
of  the  furnishings  is  not  to  be  compared  to 
the  harmony  that  exists  between  the  hap])y 
inmates  who  occupy  the  home. 

In  18S4  Mr.  Haish  organized  the  Barb 
City  Bank,  of  De  Ralb,  of  which  he  is 
president,  while  George  Baldwin  is  cashier. 
Besides  owning  the  bank,  he  owns  land  in 
Dakota,  Denver,  Colorado,  Kansas,  Ohio 
and  Chicago.  In  De  Kalbcityhc  owns  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  houses,  and  in  the 
township  he  has  about  twelve  farms.  With 
all  this  wealth,  he  is  the  same  Jacob  Haish 
he  was  when  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
bench,  willing  to  help  his  fellow-men,  who 
are  in  need,  and  who  appreciate  being 
helped.  He  is  rleeply  interested  in  the 
education  (jf  the  yoimg,  and  the  building 
up  of  his  adopted  city.  Eor  the  State 
Normal  School,  he  willingly  and  cheerfully 
contributed  ten  thousand  dollars.  He  is 
ever  ready  to  assist  with  his  means  any 
laudable  enterprise,  and  it  can  be  safely 
said  of  him  that  he  has  done  as  much  as 
any  other  one  man  to  ad\ance  the  material 
interests  of  his  adopted  city  and  count}'. 


TW.  COOPER,  a  well-known  farmer  re- 
siding on  section  35,  De  Kalb  town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  Cayuga  county,  New 
York,  born   March  11.   18^4,  and  is  the  son 


of  George  C.  and  Sarah  (McCally)  Cooper, 
both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  New 
York  state.  The  father  was  a  colonel  of 
the  Seventy-seventh  New  York  Volunteers, 
who,  in  the  war  of  i  S 1 2,  took  such  an  active 
part  in  the  defense  of  their  country.  Not 
only  was  he  a  prominent  leader  in  military 
circles,  but  he  was  a  leader  in  politics  also, 
although  he  would  never  be  incumbered 
with  office,  but  was  the  means  through  his 
party  in  placing  others  in  official  positions. 
In  politics  he  was  a  thorough  and  uncom- 
promising Whig,  a  believer  in  the  principle 
of  protection,  and  an  admirer  of  the  great 
Whig  statesmen,  Daniel  Webster  and  Henry 
Clay.  In  1842  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Michigan,  where  he  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  and  there  remained  three 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Du  Page 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  was  born  in  1796  and  died 
in  I  87  I.  His  wife  was  born  in  1787,  and 
died  in  1868. 

From  Du  Page  county  our  subject  re- 
moved to  La  Salle  county,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1883,  then  moved  to  Carlton, 
where  he  purchased  what  is  known  as  the 
Robbins  farm.  In  1894  he  sold  that  farm 
and  removed  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  now 
resides  on  a  fertile  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
De  Kalb  township.  He  was  married  Au- 
gust 15,  1859,  to  Miss  Josephine  A.  Bond, 
a  native  of  Ne\\'  York  state,  born  in  1840. 
and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mar}-  Bond. 
She  liied  in  iSTii,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Mary  J.,  who  was  born  October  5,  i860. 
For  his  second  wife,  in  1866.  he  married 
Miss  Malvina  A.  Covall,  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Malinda  Covall.  This  union  re- 
sulted in  the  birth  of  two  sons,  Frank  E., 
born  in  1867,  and  Charles,  born  in  1869. 
Mrs.   Malvina  Cooper,  who  was  born  in  New 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


61 


York  state  in  1847,  died  in  1876.  Mr 
Cooper  married  (or  his  third  wife,  June  29, 
1878,  Miss  Mary  A.  Ellwood,  a  native  of 
LaSalle  county,  born  in  1859,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  and  OHve  Ellwood.  By 
this  union  seven  children  have  been  born, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living:  Mabel  B.. 
born  in  1879;  Bertie,  in  1880;  Myrtle,  in 
r885;  Ray,  in  1886,  and  Herbert,  in  1888. 
Mr.  Cooper  is  a  genial  man,  of  marked 
sociability,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  for  thirty-five 
years,  for  thirty  years  of  which  time  he  was 
a  leading  member  of  the  church  choir,  being 
a  musician  of  more  than  ordinary  ability. 


CH.  FOILES  is  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
ing in  the  city  of  De  Kalb.  He  is  a 
native  of  Northampton,  Schoharie  county. 
New  York,  and  was  born  in  1S2J.  Hi.-; 
parents,  James  and  Ann  Foiles,  who,  v%'hile 
not  rich  in  this  world's  goods,  were  in  up- 
rightness of  character  far  beyond  the  aver- 
age in  the  higher  walks  of  moral  life.  The}- 
confined  themselves  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  both  died  before  our  subject  reached 
the  age  of  twelve  years. 

Mr.  Foiles  was  only  twelve  years  of  age 
when  with  others  he  came  to  the  Fox  River 
X'alley,  in  1834,  just  as  the  Indians  had  va- 
cated that  country.  He  there  made  his 
home  until  he  reached  his  majority,  when 
he  removed  to  Shabbona  Grove,  and  there 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  for 
which  he  paid  two  dollars  per  acre,  and 
which  cost  the  seller  only  eights  cents  per 
:icre.  Like  all  early  settlers,  he  worked 
)iard,  used  rigid  economj',  until  he  was  able 
to    purchase   more   land,    and    now  owns  a 


beautiful  and  fertile  farm  i>f  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Foiles  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  union,  which  was  celebrated  .August  3, 
1850,  being  with  Miss  Marietta  Burdick, 
a  native  of  Caledonia  county.  New  York, 
born  May  13,  1831,  and  a  daughter  of  Har- 
ris and  Sarah  Burdick,  who  were  numbered 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Ue  Kalb  county. 
Mrs.  Foiles  died  September  4,  1870,  leav- 
ing five  children:  Helen,  born  in  1851; 
Charles  H.,  in  1854;  Edward,  in  1857; 
Harris,  in  1861;  and  Fred,  in  1863.  For 
his  second  wife  Mr.  Foiles  married  Mrs. 
Minerva  Davis,  widow  of  D.  C.  Davis,  and 
a  daughter  of  Narcis  and  Minerva  La  Port. 
She  was  born  November  10,  1856,  and  is  a 
native  of  Canada,  of  French  extraction, 
whose  parents  came  to  this  country  at  a 
\ery  early  day.  By  her  marriage  with  D. 
C.  Davis,  she  had  six  children  born  to  her, 
two  of  whom  are  living,  Justin  L. .  born 
March  10,  1867,  and  Charles  O. ,  .Vpril  18, 
1870.  The  union  of  Mr.  Foiles  and  Mrs. 
Davis  was  solemnized  September  14,  1880, 
and  to  them  was  born  one  son.  Earl  Leroy, 
born  August  30,  1883. 

In  politics  Mr.  Foiles  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  been  honored  by  his  fello\s  -citizens 
with  several  township  offices,  which  he  filled 
with  credit  to  himself,  and  to  those  who 
trusted  him  with  power  and  authority.  In 
1893,  he  reinoved  to  the  city  of  De  Kalb, 
where  he  is  now  living  a  retired  life,  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of   honest  toil. 


JO.  OLESON,  photographer,  Postoffice 
building,  De  Kalb.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  there  is  no  branch  of  industry,  art  or 
science,  in  which  more  marked  advances 
have  been  made  during  recent  years  than 


62 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in   photography.      From    the    dale   of    Da- 

guerre's  first  discovery  of  retaining  impres- 
sions on  material  substances,  by  the  aid  of 
light  and  chemical  appliances,  its  progress 
has  been  nothing  less  than  a  continuous 
march  of  success,  and  yet  the  end  has  not 
been  reached.  Notwithstanding  all  that 
has  been  attained,  much  yet  depends  upon 
skill  and  judgment  of  the  operator  in  ob- 
taining favorable  and  desirable  results. 
.•\mong  the  prosperous  ard  well-patronized 
men  of  De  Kalb,  our  subject  has  always 
maintained  a  most  enviable  reputation  for 
superior  workmanship  and  liberal  business 
methods. 

Mr.  Oleson  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
in  1845.  In  1868  he  emigrated  to  the 
Lnited  States  and  located  in  Chicago,  at 
which  time  he  began  business  as  a  photog- 
rapher. In  1872,  after  serving  under  the 
best  photographers  in  Chicago,  he  opened 
an  establishment  on  his  own  account,  and 
was  eminently  successful.  He  continued 
his  residence  in  Chicago  for  ten  years,  com- 
ing to  De  Kalb,  in  1878.  where  he  estab- 
lished hmiself  in  his  business,  and  for  six- 
teen years  was  the  only  permanent  photog- 
rapher in  the  city.  His  studio  was  on  Main 
street  up  to  1896.  but  he  is  now  situated  on 
Third  street,  over  the  postoffice.  The 
premises  he  occupies  for  his  business  are 
spacious  and  commodious,  easy  of  access, 
and  the  reception  room  and  office  are  hand- 
somely furnished.  His  gallery  and  finish- 
ing room  are  fitted  up  with  the  latest  appli- 
ances known  to  the  profession,  including 
the  best  light  accessories.  Indeed,  the 
whole  establishment  is  fitted  up  in  first-class 
style.  Sitters  are  posed  by  Mr.  Oleson, 
who  is  recognised  as  an  artist  of  marked 
ability,  and  the  most  careful  attention  is 
given  to  every  detail  which  is  likely  to  en- 


hance the  beauty  and  faithfulness  of  the 
picture.  The  beauty  of  design,  fineness  of 
finish,  and  the  artistic  workmanship  of 
everything  manipulated,  are  matters  of  just 
pride  to  Mr.  Oleson.  His  merits  are  in- 
dorsed by  hundreds  of  patrons  in  city  and 
country. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1876,  Mr.  Ole- 
son was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Bertha 
Johnson,  a*  native  of  Sweden,  born  in  1854, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  children. 
Derby  D.,  born  in  1877,  died  January  17, 
1898.  Ross  M.  was  born  in  1879,  and 
Chester  G.,  in  1885.  For  twenty  years 
Mr.  Oleson  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he 
has  held  several  responsible  offices.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


CAPTAIN  ORVILLE  B.  MERRILL, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
trade  at  Hincklej',  Illinois,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Illinois  since  1855.  He  is  a  native 
of  New  York,  born  in  Plessis,  February  18, 
1833.  and  is  the  son  of  Ahira  and  Melinda 
(Shurtleff)  Merrill,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  New  York  state,  the  latter  born  in 
\\'ashington  county,  being  the  daughter  of 
James  Shurtleff,  a  major  of  dragoons  in 
the  war  of  181 2,  and  who  was  in  the  battle 
of  Sacketts  Harbor.  The  Merrill  family 
are  of  Scotch  and  English  descent,  the  first 
of  the  name  to  settle  in  .\inerica  being 
Major  Joshua  Merrill,  who  located  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, at  a  very  early  day. 

Ahira  Merrill,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state,  and  in 
his  youth  learned  the  carpenter's  and  join- 
er's trade,  and  for  some  years  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building  before  coming 
west.      In  '1854   he    came  to    Illinois,    and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


63 


tirst  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  remained 
one  year,  and  then  settled  in  Aurora,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  sash,  door  and  blind 
manufactory,  as  a  member  of  the  tirm  of 
Reed  &  Merrill,  their  factory  being  located 
on  the  Island.  They  built  up  a  large  and 
profitable  business,  which  was  continued 
for  some  j'ears.  During  the  war  for  the 
I'nion,  he  joined  the  engineer  corps  of  the 
army,  and  was  with  Fremont  about  one 
year.  He  then  returned  to  Aurora,  and 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  which  he 
continued  until  his  death  in  1871,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years.  Prior  .to  his  removal 
to  Illinois,  he  went  to  California  in  1849, 
where  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing in  San  Francisco,  where  he  built  the 
first  church  and  the  first  theatre  in  that 
city.  He  remained  there  five  years,  and 
was  fairly  successful.  Religiously  he  was 
a  Congregationalist  and  an  active  worker 
in  the  church.  He  was  the  father  of  two 
sons  and  five  daughters,  the  oldest  of 
whom.  Helen,  is  the  wife  of  K.  A.  Burnell, 
o(  Aurora,  Illinois.  The  others  are  Mrs. 
S.  E.  Bridgeman,  of  Northampton,  Mas- 
sachusetts; Mrs.  Dr.  O.  Wilson,  of  Aurora; 
Orville  B. ,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  S.  M. 
Fitch,  who  died  in  Missouri;  Julia,  who 
died  single  at  the  age  of  si.xteen;  and  F. 
E. ,  who  was  the  first  settler  of  Hinckley, 
but  is  now  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Aurora,  was  educated  in  its  public 
schools,  and  learned  the  printer's  trade  in 
New  York  city.  He  enlisted  May  24,  1861. 
as  a  member  of  the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
teer  Infantry.  He  was  later  transferred  to 
the  Thirty-si.xth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  which  he  was  Commissioned  captain  of 
Company  I.  Among  the  numerous  engage- 
ments   in   which    he    participated    were    the 


battles  of  Wilson  Creek  and  Pea  Ridge, 
serving  in  the  latter  on  the  staff  of  General 
Ousterhouse.  He  was  again  in  the  fight  at 
Perryville.  Kentucky,  and  at  Stone  River. 
During  the  latter  engagement  he  was  taken 
prisoner  with  six  other  officers  of  the  Thir- 
ty-sixth Regiment,  and  of  these  seven.  Cap- 
tain Merrill  is  the  only  survivor.  Colonel 
Campbell,  whose  death  occurred  at  Sioux 
City,  Iowa,  recently,  was  the  last  of  the 
number  to  go.  While  Captain  Merrill  was 
the  oldest  of  the  se\en.  he  yet  survives 
them  all,  and  is  an  enterprising  business 
man.  Previous  to  his  capture  Captain  Mer- 
rill was  shot  in  the  ankle.  When  taken  he 
was  at  once  sent  to  Libby  Prison,  where 
he  remained  about  four  months,  and  was 
then  exchanged,  and  joined  his  regiment  at 
Chattanooga.  He  was  next  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  and  then  Mission  Ridge,  fol- 
lowed by  the  .Atlanta  campaign.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  service  he  was  dis- 
charged and  returned  home,  but  later  joined 
the  army  in  the  ccwnmissary  department  at 
Duvall's  Bluff,  serving  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 

Returning  home  Captain  Merrill  engaged 
in  newspaper  work  and  sersed  as  foreman 
on  both  the  Beacon  and  Herald  at  Aurora, 
Illinois,  remaining  there  for  some  years. 
Later  he  was  with  the  Milwaukee  Sentinel 
and  Chicago  Journal,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  newspaper  work  ^.t  Batavia,  Illi- 
nois. In  1884  he  came  to  Hinckley,  and 
went  into  the  store  of  his  brother,  F.  E. 
Merrill,  and  in  1891  purchased  the  clothing 
department  of  that  store  and  engaged  in  the 
clothing  and  gents'  furnishing  goods 
business. 

Captain  Merrill  was  married  at  Delevan, 
Wisconsin.  August  26,  1887.  to  Miss  Fan- 
nie   L.     Smith,    a     native     of    Washington 


64 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Smith,  a  pioneer  of  Delevan,  and  a  sub- 
stantial fanner,  residing  at  that  place,  i^y 
this  union  there  was  one  daughter,  X'ivian, 
who  grew  to  the  age  of  six  years,  dying 
April  34,  1896.  Religiously  Mrs.  Merrill  is 
a  Baptist,  and  is  an  active  worker  in  the 
church  at  Hinckley.  Politically  the  Captain 
is  a  strong  Republican,  his  first  presidential 
vote  being  cast  for  General  John  C.  l-Ve- 
mont.  He  has  been  elected  and  sersed  as 
mayor  of  the  city,  township  clerk,  village 
clerk  and  is  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
His  friends  are  many  throughout  Kane  and 
De  Kalb  counties. 


CHARLES  BROWN,  deceased,  was  for 
nearly  forty  years  one  of  the  most 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Sycamore,  as 
well  as  one  of  its  most  enterprising  men. 
He  was  born  in  German  Flats,  Herkimer 
county.  New  York,  January  14,  1812.  His 
father,  Henry  Brown,  was  born  in  Connect- 
icut and  died  in  Herkimer  county.  New 
York,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  His 
wife  was  Miss  Wealthy  Able,  also  a  native 
of  Connecticut. 

Charles  Brown  was  reared  in  Herkimer 
county,  New  ^'ork,  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  until  about  the  age  of  eighteen 
>ears.  In  his  youth  he  was  in  ill  health, 
and  when  fifteen  years  old  was  sent  to  Con- 
necticut, with  the  hope  that  the  change  of 
climate  would  do  him  good.  After  a  year 
or  two  he  returned  to  his  father's  house, 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years.  He  first  married  Caroline  Dodge, 
who  bore  him  two  children.  Henry,  the 
first  born,  was  for  many  years  associated 
with  his  father   in    business.      He  first    mar- 


ried Elizabeth  Bennett,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children,  all  deceased.  lie  ne.xt  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Sarah  Hood,  who  unw  survives 
him,  making  her  liDini!  in  Waukegan,  Illi- 
nois. He  raised  a  company  in  Sycamore 
and  served  through  the  Civil  war,  attaining 
the  rank  of  major.  Addie  B.  married  N. 
C.  Warren,  \vholi\es  in  Sycamore,  she  hav- 
ing died  several  years  ago. 

Soon  after  marriage  Mr.  ISrtnvn  engaged 
in  running  a  fulling  mill,  which  l>usiness  he 
continued  for  several  seasons.  He  then  sold 
and  for  a  few  years  lived  on  a  farm,  after 
which  he  purchased  a  paper  mil!  at  Pulaski, 
Oswego  county,  New  York,  which  he  oper- 
ated until  the  death  of  his  wife,  when  he 
sold  out  and  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
cattle,  sheep,  dressed  beef,  etc.,  for  about 
fi\e  years.  On  the  i  ith  of  P"ebruary,  1858, 
at  Richfield  Springs,  New  York,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Narina  Louise 
Tunnicliffe,  who  was  born  at  the  foot  of 
Schuyler's  Lake,  at  Leroy,  Otsego  county. 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard  W. 
Tunnicliffe,  a  native  of  Warren,  Herkimer 
county,  New  York,  born  May  2,  1805,  and 
who  died  March  17,  1892.  He  was  the  son 
of  William  Tunnicliffe,  a  large  landed  pro- 
prietor of  Otsego  county,  New  York,  the 
owner  of  many  thousand  acres  of  land,  but 
who  was  also  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  for  many  years.  William  Tunni- 
cliffe was  the  son  of  John  Tunnicliffe,  who 
with  his  three  brothers  left  England  because 
of  distasteful  game  laws,  and  settled  at 
Richfield  Springs,  where  they  became  the 
owners  of  much  of  the  valuable  land  in  that 
region.  William  Tunnicliffe  married  Char- 
lotte Rentzau,  a  daughter  of  Count  Rentzau, 
a  German  officer  serving  under  Bnrgoyne, 
and  who,  after  the  surrender,  was  paroled, 
rc-maincd     in     this     roiuitrw     mar.  icd,     and 


THE    BIOC.RAPHICAL    Ri:(."(M<D. 


65 


shurlly  afterward  \va^  drowned  upon  the 
ocean  by  the  capsiziiij;  uf  his  boat.  He  was 
of  the  same  family  as  tlie  Keiitzaus  wh(j 
iiilennarried  with  the  son  of  Prince  liis- 
mark. 

Richard  W.  Tunnicliffe  first  married 
Eliza  Jane  May,  February  10,  1828.  She 
was  born  at  the  foot  of  Schujler's  Lake. 
September  24,  18 10.  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Amasa  May,  who  was  born  either  in  Con- 
necticut or  Exeter  Centre,  New  York,  and 
who  married  Betsy  Clark.  To  Richard  W. 
and  Eliza  Jane  TunniclifTe,  two  children 
were  born — Narina  L. ,  widow  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  Frances  Elizabeth,  widow  of  John 
Harrinjsiton,  now  living  in  Richfield,  New 
York.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife, 
Richard  W.  Tunniclii^e  married  Miss  Har- 
mony Clark,  an  own  cousin.  They  were 
married  March  13,  1839.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Merritt  and  Anna  (Van  Court) 
Clark,  the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  Ste- 
phen \'an  Court.  .Amasa  Clark  was  the 
son  of  Gamamile  Clark.  By  the  second 
union  were  five  children:  .\lbert  R..  de- 
ceased; Harriet  Ann.  living  with  her  half 
sister,  Mrs.  Brown,  widow  of  our  subject; 
Ambrose  M.,  deceased;  Merritt  j.,  of 
Siou.x  City,  Dakota;  and  Fred,  in  Foxbon, 
Canada. 

To  Charles  and  Narina  L.  Brown,«4our 
children  were  born  as  follows:  fi)  Carrie 
M.  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Sanford,  a 
druggist  of  S)camore.  They  have  two 
children,  '  Louis  R.  and  Narina  Tunni- 
cliffe. (2)  Charles  M.  is  deceased.  (^3) 
Richard  T.  has  never  left  the  parental 
roof.  (4)  Frank  H.,  who  is  in  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law.  Mr.  Sanford,  mar- 
ried Fannie  Cunningham,  of  Polo,  Illinois, 
but  the\-  reside  in  Sycamore.  They  have 
two  children,  William  H.  and  an  infant. 


After  his  second  ni;irriage.  Mr.  Brown, 
in  1858,  made  a  permanent  settlement  in 
Sycamore,  and  for  two  years  again  engaged 
in  bujing  and  shipping  stock,  but  in  com- 
pany with  a  partner.  In  1 861,  his  son 
enlisting  in  the  army,  he  purchased  his 
grocery  store,  which  he  continued  to  run 
alone  until  the  return  of  his  son,  when  they 
formed  a  partnership  until  the  son  died 
.\ugust  27,  1887.  The  death  of  the  father 
occurred  July  9,  1895.  In  politics  Mr  Brown 
was  a  Republican,  but  never  a  seeker  after 
political  preferment,  although  from  a  sense 
of  duty  he  served  for  many  years  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education.  Mrs. 
Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church 
while  Mr.  Brown  was  an  attendant  of  the 
same  church,  to  the  support  of  which  he  con- 
tributed quite  freely.  To  all  public  enter- 
prises he  gave  substantial  support,  always 
having  an  interest  in  that  which  would  build 
up  his  adopted  city  and  county.  .As  ex- 
pressed by  one  who  knew  him,  •■  Mr. 
Brown  was  an  exemplary  man — one  of  our 
best  citizens." 


MRS.  ANNA  VAN  HORN,  widow  of  the 
late  Orlando  Van  Horn,  whose  death 
occurred  in  1897,  now  makes  her  home  in 
the  city  of  De  Kalb.  She  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  in  1825,  and  was  eleven 
years  of  age  when  she  accompanied  her 
parents,  \'alentine  and  Dorothy  Hoffman, 
from  Germany  to  this  country  in  1836. 
Shortly  after  their  arrival  her  father  was 
taken  sick,  and  died  the  same  year.  The 
widow  with  her  family  then  came  west  and 
located  in  Rockford,  Winnebago  county, 
Illinois,  -which  continued  to  be  her  home 
during  the  remainder  of  her  life.  She  was 
born    in  Germany,  in    May,   1800,  and   died 


66 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


at  Rockford,  in  May,  1850.  Her  daughter 
Anna,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  removed 
from  Rockford  to  Chicago  in  1844.  where 
she  became  acquainted  with  and  married 
her  first  husband.  Carver  Butterfield.  in  the 
following  year.  To  those  young  and  happy 
parents  one  child  was  born,  Frank,  who 
now  resides  in  Marysville.  Marshall  county, 
Kansas. 

Mr.  Butterlield  wa.>^  ;i  printer  by  trade, 
and  a  native  of  Franklin.  Massachusetts. 
He  came  west  to  Chicago  in  1 836  and  worked 
on  the  Prairie  Farmer  for  a  number  of  years, 
at  a  time  when  John  S.  Wright  was  editor. 
He  was  afterwards  identified  with  the  Chi- 
cago Democrat,  edited  and  published  by 
John  Wentworth,  who  was  a  familiar  figure 
in  Chicago  for  many  years.  In  1846  he  es- 
tablished hiinself  in  a  job  printing  office, 
which  he  conducted  for  two  years,  then  sold 
out  and  returned  to  Massachusetts,  but,  be- 
ing dissatisfied  with  his  native  state,  when 
compared  with  the  then  great  western  state 
of  Illinois,  he  returned  to  Chicago,  where 
he  again  entered  upon  the  duties  of  a  printer 
in  the  office  of  the  Democrat.  In  1S48  he 
entered  a  claim  with  the  government  for  a 
quarter  section  of  land  in  De  Kalb  county, 
which  in  he  due  time  purchased,  and  where 
he  made  a  home  for  his  family.  In  1850 
his  family  moved  to  the  claim,  Mr.  Hoffman, 
a  brother  of  Mrs.  Butterfield,  superintending 
it,  while  Mr.  Butterfield  remained  in  Chicago 
working  at  his  trade,  thus  supplying  funds 
for  the  improvement  of  his  land  and  the 
support  of  his  family.  In  this  way  he  had 
the  advantage  of  many  of  his  neighbors.  In 
1854  he  died  of  cholera  in  Chicago. 

In  1864  Mrs.  Butterfield  married  for  her 
second  husband,  Orlando  \'an  Horn,  a  na- 
tive of  Otsego  county.  New  York,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1828.      He  was  by  trade  a 


carpenter,  but  came  to  Illinois  in  the  spring 
of  1S56,  locating  at  South  Grove,  De  Kalb 
county,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land,  besides  a  small  homestead,  and  fol- 
lowed the  even  and  uneventful  life  of  a  farmer 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Like  his 
predecessor,  Mr.  Butterfield,  he  was  a  man 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  Mrs.  \'an 
Horn  is  a  woman  of  marked  intelligence, 
good  business  ability,  sound  common  sense, 
and  has  many  friends  throughout  the  county. 


LEWIS  MERRILL  GROSS,  the  efficient 
county  superintendent  of  public  schools 
of  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  is  an  educator 
of  acknowledged  ability.  He  was  born  in 
Mayfield  township,  De  Kalb  county,  June 
II,  1863,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Harriet  (Ault)  Gross.  William  Gross  was 
born  in  Luzerne  county.  Pennsylvania,  De- 
cember 5,  1835,  and  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Mary  (Keithline)  Gross,  the  former  a 
native  of  Northampton  county.  Pennsylva- 
nia, born  in  1809.  Phillip  Gross,  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  was  also  born 
in  Northampton  county,  in  1773.  He  was 
the  son  of  Daniel  Gross,  who  came  from 
Germany  in  1750.  Some  of  the  ancestors 
of  the  Keithlines  were  soldiers  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war. 

William  Gross  came  to  De  Kalb  county 
in  1857,  settling  in  Mayfield  township,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming.  His  death  occurred 
at  Kingston.  May  2.  1886.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican  and  in  religion  a  Method- 
ist. He  was  a  prosperous  and  substantial 
citizen,  holding  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  fellow  townsmen.  His  wife  died 
F^ebruary  28,  1870.  Her  father.  Samuel 
.Ault,  was  a  native  (A  Penn.sylvania,  and 
came  west  in  an  eiirly  <lay.  hjcatiii^'  in  May- 


LE\A^IS  M.  GROSS. 


LISRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIV^RSnV  OF  IIIINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAl-    RECORD. 


(-•L) 


field  township,  De  Kalb  county,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  i86S.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  farmer  and  also  a  miller.  His  wife 
was  Catherine  (Page)  Ault,  and  she  died  in 
1865.  They  had  a  family  of  fourteen  chil- 
dren— Elizabeth,  Nancy,  John,  Catherine, 
Mary  Ann,  Margaret,  Adam,  Mathias,  Chris- 
tine, Joseph,  Hannah,  Julia,  Ann,  Harriet 
and  Sarah.  Of  these  six  are  yet  living. 
To  \\'illiam  and  Harriet  Gross  eight  chil- 
dren were  born  as  follows:  Laura,  now  the 
wife  of  C.  N.  Townsend,  living  in  Bremer 
county,  Iowa;  Millard  F.,  married  and  li\- 
ing  on  the  old  homestead  in  Mayfield  town- 
ship: Elnora,  wife  of  E.  Johnson,  of  Syca- 
more; Lewis  M.,  our  subject;  Amanda  |., 
wife  of  Elvin  Nichols,  of  Calhoun  county, 
Iowa;  Alice,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Sjxamore;  George  and  Mary,  deceased. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm,  recei\ing  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools.  Subsequently 
he  entered  the  Sycamore  graded  schools, 
graduating  from  the  high  school  in  that  city 


in  the  class  of  '8: 


After  teachiuLT  a  district 


school  one  year  he  attended  the  Wells  train- 
ing school,  at  Oregon,  Illinois.  Lea\ing 
that  school  he  became  principal  of  the  Cort- 
land school  two  years,  and  then  served  as 
principal  of  the  Kirkland  school  for  two 
years.  In  November,  1890,  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  was  re-elected  in  1894.  In  the 
summer  of  1898  he  received  the  nomination 
for  a  third  term,  and  \\ill  doubtless  be  re- 
elected. 

Mr.  Gross  was  united  in  marriage  No- 
vember 12,  1896,  at  Huntley.  Illinois,  to 
Elizabeth  M.  Parsons,  a  native  of  McHenry 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  Theophilus  L. 
and  Ellen  (Hubbard  1  Parsons,  the  former  a 
native   of  Pennsylvania,    and    the    latter    of 


New  York.  Her  father  has  been  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way for  forty-one  years,  and  is  now  station 
agent  at  Huntley  and  is  the  oldest  station 
agent  on  the  line.  Both  parents  are  yet 
living.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infanc\'. 
The  others  are  Earl  and  l-~lizabeth.  She 
was  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  at  Hunt- 
ley, subsequent!)'  attended  the  Cook  County 
Normal  and  the  Illinois  State  Normal. 
Later  she  was  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools. 

In  politics  Mr.  Gross  is  a  Republican 
and  in  religion  a  Methodist.  He  is  a  Mason 
of  the  thirty-second  degree,  and  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  Masonry  in  the 
state  since  uniting  with  the  order.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  of  the 
Medinah  Temple,  Chicago,  and  of  Freeport 
Consistory.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  As  a  Re- 
publican he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party,  although  it  is  as  an  edu- 
cator that  he  is  best  known.  In  everv  part 
of  the  county  he  has  stanch  friends  who  re- 
gard him  highly,  and  who  kntiw  his  worth 
as  a  citizen  and  his  ability  as  superintendent 
of  the  public-schools. 


SOLISTON  BEAUBIEN,  who  is  living  a 
retired  life  in  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  is  a 
native  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  born  .March  4, 
1 8:;  I,  and  is  the  son  of  Mark  and  Monicke 
Beaubien,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Michigan,  but  of  French  parentage.  Mark 
Beaubien  was  a  prominent  figure,  in  the 
early  settlement  of  Illinois,  and  did  much  in 
the  infant  days  of  Chicago,  in  building  it  up. 
He  removed  from  Detroit  to  Chicago,  in 
1832,  where  he  later  erected    several   build- 


70 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ings,  one  being  the  Illinois  Exchange.  He 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade,  operated 
a  ferr)'  which  crossed  the  Chicago  river, 
and  opened  and  kept  the  tirst  hotel  in  Chi- 
cago. He  accumulated  some  wealth,  pre- 
vious to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  April, 
1 88 1.  Politically  he  was  an  active  Repub- 
lican. He  was  twice  married,  and  obeyed 
the  divine  injunction  to  multiply  and  re- 
plenish the  earth  by  being  the  father  of 
twenty-three  children,  Soliston  being  a  son 
by  his  first  wife. 

Soliston  Beaubien  grew  to  manhood  in 
Chicago,  and  there  commenced  his  active 
business  career.  He  remained  in  Chicago 
up  to  1837,  when  he  went  to  I)u  Page 
county,  Illinois,  and  there  purchased  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  w'here  he 
lived  for  fourteen  years.  In  1851,  he  re- 
mo\ed  to  Aurora,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
livery  business,  being  the  first  in  that  town. 
After  a  few  years,  however,  he  found  his 
way  back  to  Chicago,  and  there  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  on  the  Oplain  river.  Tir- 
ing of  this  he  returned  to  his  farm,  and  re- 
mained there  three  years.  He  ne.\t  went 
to  Mt.  Morris,  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  opened  a  harness  shop,  which  he  con- 
ducted with  marked  success.  He  sold  out, 
however,  and  moved  to  La  Salle,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  same  business, 
but  soon  sold  to  one  of  his  workman,  and 
again  fell  back  on  his  farm,  where  he  spent 
three  years  of  rural  contentment. 

The  life  of  a  farmer  did  not  seem  to 
agree  with  him,  so  he  removed  to  Sterling, 
Illinois,  and  there  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  for  seven  years.  Once  more  he 
sold  out  and  returned  to  his  farm,  and  there 
remained  six  years.  From  his  farm  he 
went  to  Aurora  and  engaged  in  the  restau- 
rant and  bakery  business,  where  he  remained 


three  jears;  he  then  went  to  \\^aternian 
and  operated  a  road  grader.  He  next  went 
to  Fox  River,  where  he  kept  a  restaurant 
for  two  years.  In  1881,  he  sold  his  farm 
and  removed  to  De  Kalb,  where  his  wander- 
ing ceased.  On  moving  to  that  place,  he 
purchased  a  boot  and  shoe  store,  including 
the  stock  of  Robert  Ryles.  To  this  his 
daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  O.  M.  Beaubien, 
added  a  slock  of  millinery  goods,  and  had 
charge  of  that  department.  This  business 
he  carried  on  for  four  years,  when  he  sold 
out  to  his  son,  and  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life.  He  now  owns  considerable  city 
property,  the  oversight  of  which  keeps  him 
busy. 

On  the  30th  of  September,  1850,  Mr. 
Baubien  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Du  Page 
comity,  Illinois,  with  Miss  Rosa  Normanda, 
a  nati\e  of  Canada,  born  in  September, 
1833,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Char- 
lotte Normanda,  early  settlers  of  Du  Page 
county.  B)'  this  union  four  children  were 
born,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living, 
Oliver,  a  resident  of  De  Kalb,  who  was 
born  in  the  city  of  La  Salle,  Illinois,  in 
1854,  is  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  De  l\alb,   Illinois. 


FRANK  O.  VAN  GALDER,  of  the  firm 
of  Van  Galder  &  Boies,  publishers  of 
the  True  Republican,  Sycamore,  Illinois, 
was  born  near  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  Janu- 
ary 6,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of  Truman  W. 
and  Mary  (Phelps)  Van  Galder,  the  former 
a  native  of  Niagara  county,  New  York,  and 
the  latter  of  Livingston  county,  of  the  same 
state.  The  \'an  Galders  were  originally 
from  Holland,  but  were  early  settlers  in 
V^ermont,  from  which  state  they  moved  to 
New  York.      The  Pheljjs  family  were  early 


Till.    inOCRAFHICAL    Rl-XX^Rl;. 


/-• 


settlers  of  Pennsj'lvania.  from  which  state 
they  also  moved  to  New  York.  Later  the 
respective  families  moved  to  Ohio,  and  at 
Montville,  January  29,  1843,  Truman  W. 
Van  Galder  and  Mary  Phelps  were  united 
in  marriage.  Soon  after  their  marriage 
they  moved  to  Michigan,  and  in  1851  to 
Rock  county.  Wisconsin,  locating  on  a 
farm  near  Janesville,  at  which  place  our 
subject  was  born.  From  that  place  they 
came  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  in  which 
occupation  he  continued  until  his  death, 
January  24,  18S2.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican  and  took  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs.  His  widow,  who  is  jet 
living  in  Sycamore,  is  a  member  of  the 
Universalist  church.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are  yet 
living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
a  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  In  his  jouth  he  learned 
the  trade  of  brick-making,  acquiring  a 
practical  knowledge  of  all  the  details  of  the 
business.  In  1874  he  went  into  the  office 
of  the  Free  Methodist,  a  religious  paper 
published  in  Sycamore,  with  a  view  of 
learning  the  printer's  trade.  In  that  office 
he  continued  four  years,  after  which  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  News  at  De  Kalb. 
where  he  was  employed  for  a  few  months. 
Returning  to  Sycamore  he  went  into  the 
office  of  the  True  Republican,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  and  in  January, 
1878,  in  partnership  with  Cass  Davis, 
started  the  publication  of  the  F"ree  Press, 
the  business  being  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  \an  Galder  &  Davis.  The  latter 
part  of  the  year  he  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Free  Press  to  his  partner,  and  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  the  Sycamore  City  Weekly, 


then  conducted  by  \'.  Hix,  with  which 
paper  he  was  connected  until  October,  1 887, 
when  he  sold  to  Mr.  Hi.\,  and  purchased 
the  interest  of  the  late  H.  L.  Boies  in  the 
True  Republican.  In  1895  he  received  the 
appointment  as  editor  of  the  official  paper 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  .America,  ami 
was  re-appointed  in  1897  and  still  holds 
that  position. 

.Mr.  \'an  Galder  was  married  March  17, 
1881,  to  Miss  Florence  M.  Talbot,  who  was 
born  in  Cortland,  Illinois,  aud  is  a  daughter 
of  Charles  .A.  and  Harriet  (Newell)  Talbot. 
natives  of  England.  By  this  union  there 
have  been  three  children — ^.Anna  Claire, 
Cora  May  and  Charles  T.  The  family  now 
reside  on  California  street.  Sycamore.  The 
parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church,  in  which  he  is  an  especially  active 
worker.  In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  Re- 
publican, and  for  five  years  held  the  office 
of  cily  clerk  of  Sycamore.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  .\uierica.  In  the  lat- 
ter order  he  wields  a  great  influence  and  is 
well-posted  in  its  various  lines  af  work.  .\s 
a  citizen  he  is  progressive,  and  socially  he 
is  held  in  high  esteem. 


GR.  HOLMES,  a  well-known  liveryman 
of  De  Kalb.  Illinois,  has  been  engaged 
in  the  business  for  thirteen  years.  He  is 
well  and  centrally  located  on  Main  street, 
where  he  enjoyed  the  deserved  patronage 
of  the  public.  He  keeps  a  number  of  well- 
conditioned  horses,  and  a  large  variety  of 
buggies,  phaetons  and  other  vehicles,  to 
please  the  taste  and  satisfy  the  desire  of  his 
numerous    patrons.      His    stables    are    well 


/^ 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    Kl-irORD. 


kept,  thoroughly  ventilated   and  sutticiently 
lighted. 

Mr.  Holmi's  is  a.  native  of  Oneida  coun- 
ty. New  Vurk,  born  June  ii,  1840.  His 
parents  were  Richard  and  Lucretia  Holmes, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New  York 
state.  In  early  life,  Richard  Holmes  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade,  but  in  after 
life  gave  it  up  f<jr  the  more  quiet  pursuit  of 
farming.  In  i<S47,  he  came  west,  and  lo- 
cated in  Paw  Paw  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  he  entered  four  hinidred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land.  Thi.^  he  kept 
until  land  was  in  greater  demand,  when  he 
sold  at  a  fair  advance  on  the  purchase  price. 
He  came  west  in  order  that  his  sons  might 
be  provided  with  farms  sufficiently  large  to 
make  them  comfortable  homes.  In  this 
new  country  he  was  a  man  of  iniluence  as 
well  as  means,  and  was  elected  to  several 
offices  by  his  numer<iMS  friends.  lie  was 
horn  in  1S02,  and  die(l  in  1SS7,  after  a 
prosperous  and  useful  life  of  eightj-five 
years. 

The  subject  of  tirs  sketch  is  the  young- 
est of  three  sons  born  to  Richard  and  I,u- 
cretia  Holmes.  He  began  his  business  ca- 
reer in  the  township  of  Paw  Paw,  where  he 
owned  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fort\' 
acres.  He  followed  farming  up  to  1SH5, 
when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  De  Kalb, 
where  he  engaged  in  his  present  business. 
He  married  Frances  M.  Hinckley,  a  native 
of  Maine,  born  July  24,  1844,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  D.  Hinckley,  of  La  Salle  county. 
Her  parents  removed  from  New  England 
in  1848,  and  located  in  La  Salle  countj', 
Illinois,  where  Dr.  Hinckley  enjoyed  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  skilled  physician.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Holmes  and  Miss  Hinckley 
was  solemnized  December  24,  1866,  and 
bv  this  union  seven  children  were  born,  one 


of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  li\ing  are 
Ella  M.,  born  in  1863;  MaryC,  in  1865; 
Seth  \V.,  in  1868;  George  H.,  in  1871; 
Bert   I).,  in    1881;  and  Clyde   R. ,  in    1884. 


CHARLES  A.  HUBBARD,  who  lives  a 
retired  life  in  the  \illage  of  Hinckic)', 
but  who  for  years  was  one  of  the  active  and 
enterprising  farmers  of  De  Kalb  count), 
dates  his  residence  since  the  fall  of  1852. 
He  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in 
Pittsfield,  Berkshire  county,  June  2,  1827, 
and  is  the  son  of  Enoch  and  Marietta  (Tracy) 
Hubbard,  the  ft)rmer  a  native  of  Dalton, 
Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of  Pittsfield, 
l>erkshire  roniitw  the  same  state.  She  was 
a  daughtf  r  of  Ap]ileton  Tracy,  who  was 
liorn  in  the  same  rount)'  and  state,  the 
family  being  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Massachusetts.  'I'he  Hubbards  are  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  the  first  of  the  name  locating 
in  Connecticut.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Enoch  Hubbard,  Sr  ,  was  born  in  Berkshire 
county,  Massachusetts,  where  his  entire  life 
was  spent.  Enoch  Hiil)l)ar(l,  |r. .  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  also  spent  his  entire  life 
in  Berkshire  county,  Msssachuselts,  there 
dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all 
of  whom  grew  to  mature  years,  and  of  the 
number  seven  survive.  The  children  were 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Robinson,  who  resides  in 
Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts;  Enoch, 
a  farmer  residmg  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska; 
Charles  A.,  of  this  resiew;  Sarah  A.,  wife 
of  Daniel  Foot,  of  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts; 
Washington,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
\ears;  Mrs.  L\dia  E.  Henry,  residing  at 
Pittstield,    Massachusetts;  Edward   N.,  who 


THi:    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years,  in  Malta, 
Illinois,  being  numbered  among  the  early 
settlers  of  De  Kalb  county:  Martha,  wife  of 
A.  E.  Elliott,  of  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts; 
and  Elsie  A  ,  wife  of  Jean  Harrington,  of 
New  York  city. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
and  had  fair  school  advantages  in  early  life. 
After  reaching  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he 
worked  in  woolen  mills  for  six  years.  In 
his  native  county.  May  i,  1851,  he  married 
Miss  Eunice  Apthorp,  a  native  of  the  town 
of  Hinsdale,  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Betsy 
(Stearns)  Apthorp.  By  this  union  were  six 
children,  one  of  whom  is  deceased.  The 
living  are  Albert  E.,  who  is  married  and 
engaged  in  farming  in  De  Kalb  county; 
James  A  ,  a  carpenter  and  farmer,  residing 
near  Lemars,  Iowa.  George  \V. ,  married 
and  operating  the  old  home  place,  Elmer 
E.,  engaged  in  farming  near  Rochester,  New 
York;  and  Marietta,  a  well  educated  young 
lady,  a  teacher  in  the  high  schools  at  Adrian, 
Michigan.  The  deceased  was  Charles  S., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hubbard  have  now  seventeen 
grandchildren. 

In  1S52  Mr.  Hubbard  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  arid  located  in  Pierce  town- 
ship, arriving  in  time  to  assist  in  its  organi- 
sation. He  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  raw  land  and  at  once 
commenced  its  improvement.  He  later 
bought  forty  acres  additional,  making  him  a 
fine  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  on  which  m 
due  time  he  erected  a  nice  residence,  with 
good  barns  and  other  outbuildings,  planted 
an  orchard  and  tiled  the  place,  making  of  it 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  Pierce  township. 
After   living    there    a    number   of    years  he 


rcnlt-d  the  farm  and  moved  to  C<irila!id  U) 
give  his  boys  a  better  chance  for  obtaining 
an  education.  He  resided  there  about  two 
years,  and  then  returned  to  the  farm,  but  in 
1S85  moved  to  Aurora,  that  some  of  his 
children  might  enter  Jennings  Seminar). 
However,  he  only  resided  there  one  vear. 
and  then  went  to  Hinckley,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  lot  and  built  a  residence  in  the 
place,  since  which  time  he  has  been  living 
retired. 

Mr.  Hubbard  commenced  life  in  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  with  very  limited  means,  and 
by  his  own  labor  and  enterprise  he  has  ac- 
cumulated a  valuable  property  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the 
county.  Politically  he  was  formerly  a  Re- 
publican and  supported  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  that  party  for  many  years.  Always 
a  strong  temperance  man,  and  also  believ- 
ing in  the  rights  of  the  common  people, 
he  has  of  late  years  supported  the  Prohi- 
bition party.  As  a  representative  he  was 
twice  a  delegate  to  the  state  Prohibition 
convention  in  1884  and  189S.  For  six  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, an  office  which  he  was  filling  at  the 
time  of  his  removal  to  Aurora.  While  on 
the  board  he  served  on  a  number  of  impor- 
tant committees,  being  chairman  of  the 
claims  committee  and  also  chairman  of  the 
education  committee.  In  1858  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  p^ace  in  Pierce  town- 
ship and  served  until  1  S69.  Religiously,  he 
and  his  wife  are  active  menibersof  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  at  Hinckley,  in  which 
he  serves  as  a  member  of  the  official  board. 
For  forty-six  \ears  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  has  not 
only  witnessed  the  wonderful  transformation 
in  the  state,  but  has  been  an  important  fac- 
tor in  producing  the  cliange.      He   is  a  man 


74 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ti(  c.NcinpIai-)-  liabils.  strict  integrity  and  has 
thi'  ronlitleiico  oi  the  cotninmiity  in  which 
lie  has  loni;  made  liis  home. 


MllANKAHAX,  who  is  eii;<af,'ed  in  the 
livery  business  and  in  conducting  a 
bus  hue.  witli  office  an<i  stables  corner  of 
Second  and  Grove  streets,  De  Kalb,  Illi- 
nois, has  one  of  the  best  equipped  estab- 
lishments of  its  kind  in  the  state.  The  ex- 
perience of  Mr.  Hanraliau  in  this  line  ex- 
tends over  a  period  of  several  years.  In 
i8Sc)  he  began  the  livery  business  in  De 
Kalb,  and  has  proved  bis  eminent  htness  for 
it.  His  stables  are  furnished  with  all  the 
latest  improved  stable  fixtures,  with  accom- 
modations for  fifteen  head  of  horses  and 
twice  as  many  vehicles.  His  turnouts  are 
not  surpassed  for  style  and  elegance  any- 
where in  De  Kalb  county. 

Mr.  Hanrahan  is  a  native  of  Sheboygan 
county,  Wisconsin,  born  in  August,  1858. 
He  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  .\lice  (Carroll) 
Hanrahan,  who  were  both  natives  of  Ire- 
land, and  who  came  to  this  country  about 
1842.  They  removed  from  New  York, 
where  they  first  located,  to  Wisconsin,  in 
1853.  Patrick  Hanrahan  was  by  occupa- 
tion a  farmer  during  his  entire  life.  His 
death  occurred  in  Sheboygan  county  in 
1859.  His  wife  is  yet  living  and  still  makes 
her  home  in  Sheboygan  count}',  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Hanrahan  was  reared  and  educated 
in  the  county  of  his  birth  and  followed  farm- 
ing for  twenty-two  years.  In  1880  he  came 
to  De  Kalb,  where  for  two  years  he  con- 
tinued farming  operations,  and  then  entered 
the  barb-wire  factory,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.  In  1884  he  was  interested 
in  the  sale  of  coal  and  lumber,  under  the 
firm  name-   of   Brown   &    Youngs,  where  he 


remained  five  years.  In  iS8y  lie  i^iitcred 
upon  his  present  business,  in  which  his  suc- 
cess has  surpassetl  his  own  ex|K'clalions. 
His  bus  attends  the  incoming  ol  .ill  trains, 
ciinveying  passengers  to  hotels  and  resi- 
dences. He  owns  ten  fine  roati  horses, 
whose  silky  coats  show  that  the  eye  of  the 
master  is  looking  after  their  welfare. 

On  the  3d  of  October,  1883,  he  took  for 
his  wife  Miss  Mary  Hannan,  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Catherine  Hannan,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  four  children:  .Mice,  born 
in  1884;  Mary,  in  1.SS8;  Ha/el,  in  1882;  and 
tjeorge,  in  i8y'j.  Mrs.  Hanrahan  is  a  na- 
tive of  New  Jersey   and   was  born  in  i860. 


THOMAS  M.  CLIFFE,  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Cliffe  Bros.,  attorneys  at  law, 
is  a  well-known  member  of  the  Sycamore 
bar,  one  who  has  the  love  for  his  profession 
at  heart,  and  has  attained  distinction  as  one 
of  its  ablest  members.  He  was  born  in 
Sycamore,  January  16,  1866,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  its  public  schools,  graduating  from 
the  high  school  in  1883.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  Clif?e,  a  native  of  England,  who 
came  to  .America  when  a  boy,  and  located 
first  in  Boston  where  he  was  in  the  boot 
and  shoe  trade,  and  in  1857  came  to  Syca- 
more, Illinois,  where  he  also  engaged  in  the 
boot  and  shoe  trade,  but  is  now  living  re- 
tired. He  married  Mary  A.  Collins,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America,  iii^ 
company  with  a  brother,  when  she  was  quite 
young.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living. 

Thomas  M.  Cliffe  was  reared  in  Syca- 
more, and  after  graduating  from  the  public 
school  commenced  reading  law  with  Judge 
Charles  Kellum,  and  later  with  Harvey  A. 
Jones,  after  which   he   attended   the   Union 


I 


THE   BIOCxRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


75 


Colle,£;e  of  Law,  in  Chicago,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1887.  He  then 
passed  an  examination  before  the  Appel- 
late Court  of  the  state  and.  September 
26th,  was  licensed  to  practice.  Shortl}' 
after  his  admission  he  commenced  to  prac- 
tice, and  little  later  formed  a  partnership 
with  C.  D.  Rogers,  which  continued  for 
a  time,  and  in  1894  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  James  \V.  Cliffe. 
In  October.  1897,  the  firm  of  Cliffe  Broth- 
ers was  formed  by  the  admission  of  Adam 
C.  Cliffe.  as  a  member  of  the  firm.  The 
firm  has  been  quite  successful  in  their  busi- 
ness, and  has  now  quite  a  large  clientage, 
our  subject  being  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  advocates  of  the  bar  of  De  Kalb 
county.  From  1889  to  1891,  he  was  city 
attorney  of  Sycamore,  and  since  March, 
1898,  has  been  master  in  chancery  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  De  Kalb  county,  receiving 
his  appointment  from  Judge  C.  A.  Bishop. 
During  the  past  eleven  \ears  he  has  figured 
in  some  of  the  most  important  cases  on  trial 
in  the  circuit  courts  of  De  Kalb  and  ad- 
joining counties.  He  was  the  defendant's 
attorney  in  the  Kerwin  murder  case,  which 
was  on  trial  at  Geneva.  Kane  county.  He 
was  also  employed  in  Pooler  will  case,  and 
in  the  Solomon  will  case,  together  with 
many  other  noted  trials  in  the  county.  He 
has  been  a  Mason  since  1889,  and  holds 
membership  witii  the  blue  lodge,  chapter 
and  commandery,  at  Sycamore;  now  serv- 
ing as  worshipful  master,  chief  ranger  of  the 
Kishwaukee  Court  of  Foresters,  and  is  a 
promment  and  enthusiastic  Odd  Fellow. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republicnn,  and  is  active 
on  the  stump  in  every  political  campaign. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  county 
central  committee,  from  Sycamore,  and  is 
chairman  of  its  executive  committee. 


September  14,  189S,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Esther  Stroberg,  and  they  reside  on 
Main  street. 

James  W.  Cliffe,  of  the  firm  of  Cliffe 
Brothers,  was  also  feorn  in  Sycamore,  and 
educated  in  its  public  schools.  He  read  law 
with  his  brother,  Thomas  M.,  and  after 
passing  an  examination,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  May,  1894.  Immediately  after- 
wards, he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  relation  is  still  continued.  He  has 
also  been  quite  active  in  politics,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  now 
serving  as  alderman  from  the  Third  ward. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the 
Foresters.  In  February,  1898,  he  married 
Mae  E.  W'harry. 

Adam  C.  Cliffe,  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Cliffe  Brothers,  was  born  in  Syca- 
more, June  25,  1869,  and  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  city,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  being  a  graduate  of  the 
Sycamore  high  school,  of  the  class  of  1885. 
After  his  graduation,  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  several  years,  being  principal  of  the 
public  school  of  Hinckley  one  year,  of 
Shabbona  three  years,  and  of  Franklin 
Grove,  two  years.  He  attended  the  North- 
western University  Law  School,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in. the  class  of  1897,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May  of  that 
year,  and  in  October,  following,  became  a 
incmljer  ol  the  hrni  nf  Cliffe  Brothers.  He 
is  also  prominent  in  Masonry,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter  at 
Sycamore,  and  of  the  .Aurora  council  and 
Sycamore  commandery.  Has  been  promi- 
nent in  Knights  of  P}thias  circles.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Sycamore  Lodge,  No.  105, 
I.  O.  O.  l'..  and  of  the   Modern  \\'ondinen 


THE    BIOGKAPHKAL    KKCOKD. 


I'l  Amerira.  In  ptililirs  he  is  also  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  now  seivin;;  as  a  member 
of  the  b(iar<l  "i  tiihuation  ni  tlic  city  ^(f  Syca- 
more. 


JOHN  OTT  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
the  farming  interests,  and  resides  upon 
section  5,  Squaw  drove  township,  wfiere  he 
owns  a  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  a  portion  of  which  has  been  in 
his  possession  for  thirty-two  years.  He 
was  born  in  Mecklenlierg,  Germany,  in 
April,  18.^3,  and  there  ^rew  to  manhood  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  In  1856  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  taking  shiji  at  Hamburg  and 
was  about  six  weeks  on  the  broad  Atlantic. 
Landing  at  New  York  he  came  directly  west 
to  Illinois,  and  located  in  Big  Rock  town- 
ship, Kane  county,  where  he  went  to  work 
by  the  month  on  a  farm  and  continued  to 
be  thus  employed  for  five  years.  In  Au- 
gust, 1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
Thirty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
went  with  his  regiment  to  St.  Louis,  and 
later  participated  in  the  battles  of  Pea 
Ridge,  Perryville  and  Missionary  Ridge. 
He  then  participated  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, being  in  various  engagements,  in  one 
of  which  he  was  wounded,  being  shot 
through  the  foot  and  captured  by  the 
enemy  in  the  engagement  at  Stone  River. 
He  was  taken  to  Libby  Prison,  where  he 
remained  some  five  or  six  months,  was  then 
exchanged,  and  later  sent  to  St.  Louis,  but 
joined  his  regiment  in  Tennessee,  partici- 
pated in  several  battles  and  skirmishes  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Among  other  en- 
gagements in  which  he  participated  were 
Chickamauga,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Franklin 
and  Nashville.       He  was  finally   discharged 


at  Springfield,  after  four  years  of  hard 
service. 

Returning  to  Hig  Rock,  Kane  county, 
he  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1866, 
when  he  came  to  I)e  Kalb  county,  and  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  raw  land,  on  which  a 
small  house  had  bei'U  erected.  Locating 
here  he  began  the  improsement  of  his  little 
place,  and  from  time  to  time  added  to  his 
possession  until  the  home  farm  comprises 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  addition  to 
which  he  now  owns  a  farm  adjoining,  com- 
prising one  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres, 
and  another,  one  mile  west  of  Hinckley, 
having  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres, 
all  of  which  are  well-improved  and  very 
valuable  farms. 

Mr.  Ott  was  married  in  .\urura.  Illinois, 
January  1,  1866,  to  Miss  Sophia  Stoldt,  a 
native  of  Mecklenberg,  Germany,  who 
there  grew  to  womanhood,  coming  to 
America  with  her  parents,  who  located  in 
Kane  county,  Illinois.  By  this  union  there 
are  eleven  children  as  follows:  William,  who 
yet  resides  at  home,  and  assists  in  operating 
the  home  farm;  Louie  E.,  married  and  re- 
siding on  one  of  the  Ott  farms;  Charles  \\'., 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Squaw  Grove 
township;  Christian  J.,  married,  and  residing 
on  the  farm  near  Hincklej';  Fred  .\.  and 
Henry  W'.,  at  home;  Minnie,  wife  of  Neal 
.Anderson,  of  Kane  county;  Matilda,  wife  of 
Christian  Skau,  of  De  Kalb  county;  Lena, 
wife  of  Thomas  Gormley,  of  Pierce  town- 
ship; Lizzie,  wife  of  Charles  Cole,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  Marie,  a  young  lady  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Ott  is  a  Republican,  and 
cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  1864.  While  he  has  ever  taken 
an  interest  in  political  affairs,  he  has  never 
accepted  public  office.  Religiously  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Luth- 


1 

nI 

^K^      .-r                J 

^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^u^^^^^^^gi^^ 

...J 

JOHN  OTT. 


MRS.  JOHN   OTT. 


LISR^RY 

OF  TF.E 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ItHNOlS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


8i 


eran  church.  Commencing  life  a  poor 
man,  b\-  his  own  industry,  assisted  by  his 
good  wife,  he  has  been  very  successful,  and 
is  numbered  among  the  most  substantial 
farmers  of  Squaw  r,r(>\e  township  and  De 
Kalb  county. 


AR.  KELLOGG,  deceased,  who  for  some 
years  was  managing  accountant  of  the 
Superior  Barb  \^'ire  Company,  was  well 
known  throughout  De  Kalb  county,  as  well 
as  to  business  men  throughout  the  west. 
He  was  a  native  of  Franklin  county.  New 
York,  born  .\ugust  19,  1846,  and  was  the 
son  of  Benjamin  and  Mar\-  P.  Kellogg,  the 
former  a  native  of  \'ermont  and  the  latter 
of  Rome,  New  York.  Benjamin  Kellogg 
was  an  industrious,  upright  man,  and  in  his 
younger  days  he  was  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business,  but  in  later  years  he  followed 
farming  with  some  degree  of  success. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  state,  and  there  married, 
November  16,  1875,  to  Miss  Emily  J.  Mar- 
tin, the  accomplished  daughter  of  .A.llan  H. 
and  Priscilla  E.  Martin.  She  was  born  in 
Georgia,  Franklin  county,  Vermont,  May  10, 
1845.  By  this  union  four  children  were 
born:  Bertha  E.,  born  in  1876;  Clara  L.. 
in  1878;  Mary  P.,  in  1880;  and  .\gnes  A. 
(deceased),  in  1884. 

In  1880  Mr.  Kellogg  came  to  De  Kalb. 
Illinois,  and  was  employed  as  bookkeeper 
for  I.  L.  Elwood  for  two  years,  but  by  his 
close  attention  to  business,  his  excellent 
disposition  and  upright  life  he  gained  the 
favor,  not  only  of  his  employer,  but  the 
public  generally,  and  it  opened  up  for  him 
a  new  and  better  field.  For  the  deep  inter- 
est he  took  in  his  employer's  business — 
indeed    he   made    it    his   own    business — he 


was  promoted  to  the  office  of  managing  ac- 
countant of  the  Superior  Barb  Wire  Com- 
pany and  tilled  that  position  faithfully  and 
well  for  thirteen  years.  No  duty  was  slighted 
or  left  undone,  and  sterling  integrity  marks 
his  brief  and  uneventful  life.  For  three 
)"ears  he  was  an  invalid,  the  strain  on  his 
system  being  too  much,  and  he  at  last  suc- 
cumbed to  the  inevitable,  his  death  taking 
place  January  22,  1S96.  He  was  not  a 
politician  and  filled  no  political  office,  but  for 
several  years  served  as  notary  public.  In 
his  death  the  community  lost  an  e.xcellent 
citizen  and  the  company  with  which  he  was 
associated  a  faithful  employee. 


DAM1:L  HL.ACK,  foreman  of  the  bridge 
building  department  of  the  N.  I.  &  C. 
branch  of  the  Northwestern  Railroad,  with 
headquarters  at  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  St.  Thomas,  Ontario,  JuU  11,  1838,  and 
is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Jeannette  (McDer- 
mott)  Black,  natives  of  Scotland,  and  the 
parents  of  sixteen  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  onl\-  surviving  member.  He 
was  left  motherless  and  fatherless  early  in 
his  youth. 

In  his  native  town  our  subject  grew  to 
manhood  and  received  a  fair  education  in 
the  schools  of  the  place.  In  his  youth  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  securing  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  it  in  all  its  branches. 
In  1856,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  left 
his  native  town,  the  happy  scenes  of  his 
childhood  and  youth,  for  Buffalo,  New 
York,  where  he  secured  work  at  his  trade, 
and  there  resided  for  one  year,  when  he 
came  west,  taking  up  his  residence  in  Chi- 
cago. On  the  4th  of  October,  1859,  he 
married  Miss  Jennie  McAdams,  a  native  of 
Glasgow,    Scotland,    born    in    1842,    and   a 


82 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


daughter  of  AleNander  and  Elizabeth  i\ic- 
Adams,  also  natives  of  the  same  couiitrj". 
By  this  union  seven  children  were  born,  four 
of  whom  are  li\ing:  Walter  S.,  born  in 
i86i:  W.  H.,  in  1866;  Isabel,  in  1S68;  and 
Jennie  H.,  in  1870. 

For  more  than  thirty  live  jears  Mr. 
Black  has  been  connected  with  the  North- 
western Railway  Company,  the  last  five 
years  being  foreman  on  building  bridges  and 
water  supply  on  the  X.  I.  &  C.  branch,  and 
is  now  serving  under  the  fourth  adminstra- 
tion.  He  assisted  in  the  building  of  the 
first  passenger  depot  of  the  road,  on  Kinzie 
and  Canal  streets,  Chicago,  in  1862.  In 
1868  he  built  the  round  house  ol  the  com- 
pany at  Kanasco,  Wisconsin,  and  in  1868 
built  the  round  house  at  Escanaba,  Michi- 
gan. In  1875  he  supermtended  the  build- 
ing of  their  shops  in  Chicag(i.  He  is  a 
thorough  mecliHuic  anil  understands  all  the 
requirements  of  his  office,  as  is  evidenced 
by  his  long  continued  service.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  also  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  in  which 
orders  he  has  held  high  offices. 


HON.  ROBERT  HAMPTON,  who  re- 
sides on  section  7,  Paw  Paw  township, 
is  a  well-known  citizen  of  the  county,  hav- 
ing resided  here  a  period  of  fiftj'-two  years. 
He  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Ontario,  March  27,  1821.  His 
father,  James  Hampton,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  1796,  of  which  state, 
his  grandfather,  Jonathan  Hampton,  was 
also  a  native.  The  family  is  of  English 
descent,  three  brothers  coming  from  that 
country  in  1745,  one  locating  in  New  Jer- 
sey,   another    in    South  Carolina,   and   the 


third  in  Nova  Scotia.  Our  subject  is  a  de- 
scendant of  the  one  locating  in  New  Jersey. 
From  Pennsylvania,  in  1800,  Jonathan 
Hampton  mo\ed  to  Canada  and  located 
about  thirty  miles  north  of  Toronto,  a  sec- 
tion which  was  then  but  a  wilderness,  and 
where  he  secured  a  tract  of  government 
land.  He  died  there  some  twelve  years 
later.  James  Hampton,  his  son,  was  then 
but  a  youth  of  sixteen  years.  After  arriv- 
ing at  man's  estate,  he  there  married  Miss 
Clarissa  McCarty,  born  near  Saratoga,  and 
a  daughter  of  William  McCarty,  who  was  a 
son  of  John  McCarty,  a  pioneer  of  Saratoga 
county,  New  York.  John  McCarty  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  at- 
tached to  the  army  under  General  Gates, 
and  was  present  when  General  Burgoyne 
surrendered  to  his  commander.  He  was  a 
native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  came 
to  the  New  World  when  a  young  man.  He 
married  a  Scotch  lady. 

James  Hampton,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  a  farmer  in  Ontario,  Canada,  un- 
til 1838,  when  he  came  to  the  states  and  in 
1839  located  in  Adams  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Me.xican  war,  when  he  joined  the  Mor- 
mon battalion,  under  General  Kearney,  and 
died  on  the  Rio  Grande,  while  in  the  serv- 
ice, November  9,  1846,  at  the  age  of  fifty 
years.  His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of 
years,  dying  October  8,  1889,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom 
our  subject  is  the  eldest.  William  P.  and 
Jonathan  are  farmers  residing  in  Lee  county. 
The  latter  was  a  member  of  the  Fourth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  during  the  Civil  war.  The 
daughters  all  grew  to  mature  years  and  each 
of  them  married  and  became  well  settled 
in  life. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


S3 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  seventeen 
years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Adams  county,  Ilhnois.  In  his  native 
country  he  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, which  served  as  the  foundation  for 
the  knowledge  acquired  in  after  years  by 
reading  and  observation.  He  remained  in 
Adams  county  until  1846,  engaged  princi- 
pally in  farm  work  by  the  month.  In  1845, 
however,  he  rented  a  small  farm  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  himself.  In  the  spring 
of  1846  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  having 
but  five  dollars  in  money  and  a  little  stock. 
For  one  year  he  worked  at  anything  that  he 
could  find  to  do,  but  in  1S47  entered  eight}- 
acres  of  land,  built  a  small  log  house  six- 
teen by  twenty  feet,  in  which  he  lived  while 
improving  his  place.  In  1851  he  built  a 
frame  house,  which  in  1869  gave  place  to 
his  present  fine  residence.  In  his  agricult- 
ural operations  he  has  met  with  fair  success, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
sixt}'  acres,  mostly  inclosed  with  a  neat  and 
well-trimmed  hedge  fence.  All  that  he  has 
was  acquired  by  his  own  labor,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  his  wife  and  sons. 

Mr.  Hampton  was  married  in  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  January  i,  1843,  to  Miss 
Lydia  Zemmer.  a  native  of  Ohio,  reared  in 
Richland  county,  that  state,  and  a  daughter 
of  Frederick  Zemmer.  who  there  died. 
Mrs.  Hampton's  grandfather.  Caspar  Wal- 
ters served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Her 
grandparents  were  of  German  descent.  Her 
grandfather  and  grandmother  Zemmerman 
and  an  aunt  were  massacred  b\-  Indians  in 
Ohio  in  an  early  day.  Her  mother  later 
moved  to  Adams  county.  Illinois.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hampton  have  been  the  parents  of 
eight  children.  Hiram  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  William  S.,  a  minister  of 
fhe   Congregation.-il   church,  is  now   located 


at  Silver  Creek,  Nebraska.  Joseph  P.  is  a 
farmer  residing  in  Greene  county,  Iowa. 
Marrietta  resides  at  home.  Robert  F.  is 
engaged  in  operating  the  home  farm.  Riley 
J.  is  engaged  in  business  at  Chico, California. 
Lydia  .\.  is  the  wife  of  T.  P.  Dalton,  of 
Paw  Paw.  Lee  county.  Harriet  D.  is  the 
wife  of  S.  M.  Henderson,  of  Waterman. 
Illinois. 

In  early  manhood  Mr.  Hampton  was 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  cast- 
ing his  first  presidential  vote  for  James  K. 
Polk  in  I S44.  From  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  he  has  been  an  ear- 
nest supporter  of  its  principles.  He  was  first 
elected  commissioner  of  highways  in  1850, 
and  served  three  years.  He  was  then 
elected  supervisor  and  served  five  years, 
then  one  year  as  assessor,  and  again  elected 
supervisor,  serving  five  years  more.  In  the 
fall  of  1866,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
legislature,  and  served  one  regular  term  and 
two  special  sessions.  During  the  time  he 
was  on  several  important  committees,  and 
made  a  valuable  member  of  the  house.  In 
the  spring  of  1873,  he  was  elected  super- 
visor of  his  township,  \vhich  office  he  re- 
signed in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  being 
elected  county  treasurer,  in  which  office  he 
served  one  term.  Since  that  time  he  has 
served  several  years  as  supervisor,  a  portion 
of  which  time  being  chairman  of  the  board. 
He  has  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
for  some  years,  and  in  the  various  conven- 
tions of  his  party  he  has  usually  been  a 
delegate.  He  is  a  member  of  the  East  Paw 
Paw  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which 
he  is  now  serving  as  steward.  He  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  at  East  Paw  Paw. 
and  for  years  was  a  member  of  the  Sons  of 
Temperance  and  Good   Templars,  taking  a 


84 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


very  active  interest  in  both  orders.  Few 
men  are  better  known  in  De  Kalb  county, 
and  none  more  highly  respected. 


ALEXANDER  RAY,  deceased,  was  a 
wealthy  and  influential  farmer  of  De 
Kalb  township.  He  was  born  in  Scotland, 
in  1 8 19,  and  immigrated  to  this  country 
just  as  he  reached  his  majority.  He  spent 
some  years  in  the  New  England  states  pre- 
vious to  his  removal  west,  and  being  of  a 
mechanical  turn  of  mind,  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  cotton  mills  of  the  east,  where 
he  was  engaged  as  a  trusted  and  profitable 
employee.  While  still  residing  in  the  east, 
on  the  31st  of  October.  1850.  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  A.  Anderson,  a 
native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  liorn  in 
1826.  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza 
Anderson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
the  same  country.  By  this  union  four  chil- 
dren were  born,  of  whom  two  are  now  liv- 
ing: George,  born  June  9.  1853.  and  Frank, 
January  5.  1864.  The  deceased  were  Isa- 
bel M..  born  September  13.  1851,  and  who 
died  March  3.  1883,  and  Robert.  February 
7.  1859,  and  who  died  March  9,   1892. 

The  desire  to  better  his  fortunes  induced 
our  subject  to  come  west,  and  1853  he  lo- 
cated in  Mayfield  township,  De  Kalb  county, 
where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  prairie  land,  which  he  highly  im- 
proved, and  to  it  added  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  more.  This,  too,  he  reclaimed  and 
brought  under  the  subject  of  the  plow.  On 
account  of  failing  health  he  later  sold  one  of 
his  farms  and  removed  to  the  city  of  De 
Kalb,  to  rest  and  recruit  his  wasted  energies. 
After  a  few  years  of  restfulness  he  became 
anxious  to  see  the  Creator's  handiwork  in 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  animal 


and  vegetable  kingdom,  which  only  the  true 
agriculturist  can  appreciate.  Therefore, 
after  mature  thought,  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  De  Kalb 
township,  which  is  now  owned  by  his  widow, 
and  upon  which  his  son  Frank  now  resides. 
.Alexander  Ray  departed  this  life  in  1885. 
He  was  an  exemplary  man.  one  in  whom  his 
neighbors  could  trust,  on  whom  they  could 
lean  in  time  of  need.  He  was  a  man  of 
marked  social  qualities,  mild  disposition 
and  an  even  temperament.  While  residing 
in  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  he  served  as  alder- 
man for  several  years  faithfullj'  and  well. 
No  duty  was  left  undone,  no  trifle  over- 
looked. For  years  he  was  an  honored  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  having  a  love  for  the  Master  and 
glory  of  his  cause.  Mrs.  Ray  now  resides 
in  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  and  like  her  husband 
is  a  faithful  follower  of  the  Master  and  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 


H.\KKER  MULLEN,  an  engineer  and 
inventor,  of  Sycamore,  Illinois,  has 
been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb  county  for  fifty- 
nine  years.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Kingston,  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  July 
31,  1835.  ^^^  's  the  son  of  John  and  Phebe 
(Brown)  Mullen.  The  former  was  a  native 
of  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  and  was  the 
son  of  Philip  Mullen,  who  lived  and  died  in 
New  York  when  past  eighty  years  of  age. 
John  Mullen  by  trade  was  a  carpenter  and 
builder,  which  occupation  he  followed  after 
coming  west,  but  later  purchased  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  at  Pleasant  Hill,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  His  wife.  Phebe  Brown,  was 
born  at  Rockland.  Sullivan  county,  New- 
York,  her  father,  Obediah  Brown,  who  mar- 


THIC    IIKX.KAI'HICAL    KKCOKD. 


Ss 


ried  a  French  woman,  bein-;;  ;i  vessel  owner 
and  sea  captain,  who  sailed  all  over  the 
known  world. 

In  the  fall  of  1839,  when  but  four  years 
of  age,  our  subject  came  with  his  parents  to 
Sycamore  township,  where  he  was  reared, 
and,  as  he  expresses  it,  "ran  barefoot  and 
grew  up  among  the  rag  weeds  and  stumps." 
The  school  facilities  in  that  early  day  were 
very  poor,  and  as  his  parents  were  in  poor 
circumstances  he  was  enabled  to  attend 
school  but  a  short  time  in  winter  months, 
but  even  then  was  kept  out  at  least  one  day 
in  each  week  to  assist  in  the  farm  work. 
He  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in 
Kingston  township,  with  Miss  Harriet  A. 
Collier,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Phillips)  Collier,  early  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
county.  By  this  union  were  born  two  chil- 
dren: Mary  E.  married  Theo.  Shuey,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children — Emma,  Eva 
and  Frederick.  They  reside  in  Story  coun- 
ty, Iowa.  Frank  L.  married  Millie  Drake, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Hoyt  and  Ha- 
zel. He  is  a  competent  engineer,  and  is  in 
the  employ  of  the  Patten  Manufacturing 
Company. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Mullen  saw  the 
necessity  of  possessing  more  knowledge, 
and  studied  by  himself  during  his  spare 
moments.  He  soon  acquired  sufficient 
knowledge  to  enable  him  to  pass  an  exam- 
ination, and  for  several  terms  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  he  rented  a  farm  and  for 
some  years  followed  agricultural  pursuits. 
Later  he  went  to  Nevada,  where  he  worked 
in  stamping  mills  and  learned  engineering. 
Returning  home,  he  entered  the  emplo}'  of 
the  Marsh  Harvester  Company,  with  which 
he  continued  for  nine  years,  as  an  engineer, 
or  as  an  expert  in  the  field  during  harvesting 


seasons.  For  one  or  two  seasons  he  ran  a 
traction  engine,  and  one  winter  ran  a  sta- 
tionary engine  in  De  Kalb,  Illinois.  He 
also  ran  the  engine  for  Ellwood  Manufact- 
uring Company  six  years,  and  about  three 
years  for  Patten  Manufacturing  Company, 
and  has  been  with  Svcamore  Electric  Light 
Company  for  four  years. 

In  1894  Mr.  Mullen  conceived  the  idea 
of  constructing  an  engine  that  could  be 
built  without  the  expensive  planing  neces- 
sary in  other  engines.  During  spare  mo- 
ments Mr.  Mullen  constructed  patterns  for 
the  different  parts  of  his  engine,  the  casting 
from  which  as  fast  as  finished  being  handed 
to  machinists  for  finishing.  When  all  were 
done  the  parts  were  put  together,  steam 
turned  on  and  the  engine  has  been  running 
ever  since  without  the  slightest  alteration, 
something  never  heard  of  before  in  engine 
building.  In  the  construction  of  the  engine, 
which  is  known  as  Mullen's  oscillating  en- 
gine, no  machine  work  is  necessary  except 
turnings  and  borings,  thus  making  it  much 
cheaper  than  other  engines  of  equal  horse 
power;  in  fact  it  can  be  made  for  about  half 
the  price  of  other  engines  of  like  capacity. 
While  oscillating  in  principle,  it  differs  from 
other  oscillating  engines  in  that  it  has  a 
slide  valve  instead  of  an  oscillating  cutoff'. 
Being  very  firm  and  compact  it  requires  no 
foundation,  but  can  be  set  on  an  empty  pine 
box  and  will  then  be  firm  enough  for  prac- 
tical use. 

In  March,  1894,  Mr.  Mullen  built  a  shop 
for  the  construction  of  engines.  The  pat- 
ent for  the  engines  was  granted  May  5, 
1896.  There  is  certainly  a  great  future  for 
the  invention,  as  its  compactness,  simplic- 
ity, economy  of  space  and  cost  of  construc- 
tion, firmness  without  expensive  foundation, 
and  great   power  for  weight   and    cost  com- 


86 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RKCOKD. 


mend  it  to  all  users  of  steam  power.  The 
first  engine  constructed,  which  was  of  small 
size,  has  had  four  years  of  daily  use,  with- 
out any  expense  for  repairs  or  any  apparent 
wear  or  deterioration.  In  1898  the  in- 
ventor is  preparing  for  the  extensive  manu- 
facture of  his  engine.  One  remarkable  thing 
in  connection  with  the  engine  is  that  no  al- 
terations from  the  original  model  have  ever 
been  made. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mullen  is  a  Republican, 
and  while  living  in  the  country  served  as 
school  director.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  (ienoa  Lodge,  No.  288,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.  As  a  citi/en  he  commands  the  respect 
of  all. 


WILLIAM  FL'LL1-:R,  deceased,  was  a 
resident  of  I)e  Kalb  county,  a  farmer 
of  wide  reputation,  who  located  here  in  1853. 
He  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  there 
grew  to  manhood,  but  on  reaching  his  ma- 
jority, came  west,  and  first  located  at  Wil- 
mington, Will  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  which  he  later  sold  at  an  advanced 
price,  and  on  which  he  made  a  large  profit. 
He  then  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  purchased 
one  thousand  acres  of  government  land,  for 
speculative  purposes.  This  last  purchase 
was  also  sold  at  a  high  figure,  and  only 
recently  was  the  last  of  it  disposed  of.  Mr. 
Fuller  was  a  wise  speculator,  and  rarely  if 
ever  missed  his  calculation.  He  had  ac- 
cumulated a  large  fortune  previous  to  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1890. 

In  1856.  Mr.  Fuller  married  Miss  Elea- 
nor Campbell,  a  native  of  Wyoming  county. 
New  York,  born  in  1839,  and  the  daughter 
of  Amos  and  Martha  Campbell,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  the  same  conntv  and 


state.  The  former  was  born  in  18 10,  and 
died  in  1871,  while  the  latter  was  born  in 
181  2,  and  died  in  October,  1896.  By  this 
union  there  were  seven  children,  six  of  whom 
are  yet  living — Frank,  born  in  1857;  Flor- 
ence, in  1859;  Edward,  in  1861;  Minnie,  in 
1869;  Kittie,  in  1871;  and  Eh  a,  in  1873. 
The  parents  ul  Mrs.  Fuller  moved  froni 
W^yoming  county.  New  York,  to  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  in  1854,  where  he  purchased 
three  hundred  acres  of  land,  but  sold  it 
three  years  later,  and  removed  to  North 
Plato,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  o{  land,  upon  which  he 
remained  until  his  death. 

William  Fuller  was  one  of  the  best 
farmers  of  De  Kalb  county,  a  man  of  simple 
habits,  a  loving  husband,  and  an  affectionate 
and  indulgent  father,  his  interests  being 
centered  in  his  family  and  property.  His 
death  was  sincerely  mourned,  not  alone  by 
the  family,  but  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
Mrs.  Fuller  has  left  the  farm,  and  is  now 
living  in  ease  and  comfort  in  the  city  of  De 
Kalb,  where  she  has  much  city  property, 
and  where  she  is  greatly  esteemed  and  re- 
spected by  the  entire  community. 


JOSEPH  C.  COSTER,  of  Hinckley,  Illi- 
nois, is  one  of  the  representative  farmers 
of  De  Kalb  count}',  where  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for 
about  half  a  century.  He  is  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  near 
Albany,  August  18,  181  5,  and  is  the  son  of 
Richard  and  Rachel  (Cook)  Coster,  the 
former  a  native  of  Holland,  who  settled  in 
Rensselaer  county  at  a  very  early  day,  and 
the  latter  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Cook,  a  pioneer  of  Ren- 
sselaer.     Richarii  Coster  was  a  natural  me- 


Till-:    I'.IOC.KAl'llICAL    RICCOKD. 


87 


chanic,  and  for  years  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  shingles,  and  also  in  shoe- 
making.  His  wife  died  in  New  York,  earl\- 
in  the  '40s,  while  he  survived  her  and  spent 
the  last  years  of  his  life  wiih  his  son  in  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  dying  here  when  about 
seventy  years  of  age.  They  had  a  family 
of  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Peter  grew 
to  manhood  and  married  in  New  York,  came 
west,  settled  near  Kanevile,  in  Kane  count}-, 
Illinois,  bought  a  farm  and  later  died  there. 
Alexander  H.  came  west,  first  located  in 
De  Kalb  county,  and  later  moved  to  Ore- 
gon, Ogle  caunty,  where  he  now  resides. 
Joseph  C. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
next  in  order  of  birth.  Rosetta  married  a 
Mr.  Deming,  but  is  now  deceased.  Rich- 
ard L.  resides  in  Kent  county,  Michigan. 
Stephen  is  a  resident  of  New  York.  Mrs. 
Rachel  C.  Weaver  now  resides  in  Hinckle_v, 
Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  bo}- 
hood  and  youth  in  his  native  county,  where 
he  received  a  very  limited  education.  \Vhen 
fourteen  years  he  commenced  working  on  a 
farm,  and  at  eighteen  began  life  for  himself. 
He  worked  by  the  month  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  when  he  married  Miss 
Maria  Wicks,  a  native  of  Rensselaer  county. 
By  this  union  there  were  three  children. 
Melvin  grew  to  manhood,  and  enlisted  in 
the  war  fur  the  Union,  in  August,  1862, 
and  died  while  in  the  service,  December  i  2, 
1862.  Hattie  P.  died  in  March,  1848  at 
the  age  of  eight  years.     One  died  in  infancy. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Coster  rented 
a  farm  which  he  worked  on  shares  until 
1841,  when  he  moved  to  Chenango  county, 
where,  in  partnership  with  a  cousin,  he 
bought  a  farm  of  ninety  acres,  and  leased 
sixty  acres  additional.  On  that  farm  he 
resiiietl  for  six   3ears,  when   he  sold  out  and 


came  west,  locating  in  Sugar  Grove  town- 
ship, Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  com- 
menced work  on  the  old  Judd  farm,  where 
he  remained  one  year,  in  the  meantime 
keeping  house  for  the  Judd's.  In  the  spring 
of  1849  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and 
purchased  two  hundred  and  ninety-fi\e 
acres,  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides, 
giving  for  the  same  nine  hundred  dollars. 
There  was  a  log  house  on  the  place,  and 
about  eighty  acres  had  been  broken.  He 
at  once  began  the  further  improvement  of 
the  place,  which  is  now  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  Squaw  Grove  township.  When  he 
first  located  there  were  but  few  inhabitants 
in  the  township,  but  others  came  in,  and 
the  township  was  organized  the  following 
winter.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  served  four 
years.  He  has  always  been  an  enterprising 
man  and  gave  the  right  of  way  to  the  rail- 
road, which  runs  through  his  farm,  and  also 
eight  hundred  dollars  in  cash  and  an  acre 
of  ground  as  an  inducement  to  locate  the 
depot  at  Hinckley.  In  addition  to  his 
original  farm,  he  added  from  time  to  time 
until  he  was  the  owner  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty-five  acres.  He  has  since  sold  a 
portion  of  the  same,  and  gave  a  daughter 
eighty  acres.  He  also  bought  another 
farm  in  Squaw  Grove  township  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Union  coun- 
ty, Iowa.  This  land  he  held  about  thirty 
years,  when  he  sold  the  same  at  a  nice  ad- 
vance. He  was  one  of  the  original  men  to 
start  and  build  the  first  creamery  at  Hinck- 
ley. At  one  time  he  owned  over  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Wisconsin,  but  has 
since  sold  all  but  forty  acres.  His  first  wife 
died  August  25,  1850.  April  21,  1853,  for 
his   second    wife    Mr.    Coster  married    Mrs. 


S8 


111-; 


IU(^C,KAPHir\I.    KiaOKD. 


Sophronia  R.  Bathrick,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  Hat- 
tie  M.  is  the  wife  of  John  H.  Bauder,  a 
merchant  of  Hinckley.  Susy  R.  is  the  wife 
of  John  A.  ^^'illiams,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Squaw  Grove  township,  who  owns  a 
valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres. 
Mary  C.  is  the  wife  of  John  T.  E\ans,  a 
farmer  of  Squaw  drove  township,  .\lfred 
J.  is  married  and  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Squaw  drove  township,  and  .Arthur  died 
when  four  years  of  age.  By  her  first  hus- 
band, Mrs.  Coster  had  one  son,  Daniel  D. 
Bathrick,  now  a  business  man  of  Chicago. 
In  1874  Mrs.  Coster  passed  to  her  reward, 
and  later  Mr.  Coster  married  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Evans,  a  widow  lady,  who  then  resided  at 
Piano.  .About  two  and  a  half  years  later 
she  lost  her  life  from  injuries  sustained  in  a 
runaway.  In  1880,  at  Kaneville,  Kane 
county,  Illinois.  Mr.  Coster  married  Mrs. 
Keziah  Scott,  a  native  of  England  and  a 
daughter  of  William  Owens.  She  was 
reared  in  New  York,  and  there  married 
John  Scott,  who  later  came  to  Kane  county. 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Kaneville  for  some  years.  By 
this  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of 
three  sons  and  two  daughters.  George  re- 
sides in  Denver,  Colorado.  L.  K.  is  a 
prominent  business  man  of  Aurora,  Illinois. 
Walter  W.  resides  in  Beatrice,  Nebraska. 
Lilly,  the  oldest  daughter,  married  Charles 
Stevens  and  located  near  Beatrice,  Ne- 
braska, but  is  now  deceased.  The  other 
daughter,  Clara,  is  the  wife  of  John  Evans, 
of  Aurora,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Keziah  Coster 
died  September  5,  i-SgS. 

Originally  Mr.  Coster  was  a  Whig,  and 
cast  his  first  presidential  vote  in  1836  for 
General  Harrison,  and  his  second  ballot  for 
the  same  man   in   1840.      He   continued  to 


\ote  the  \\  hig  ticket  until  the  dissolution  of 
the  party,  since  which  time  he  has  been  an 
earnest  and  steadfast  Republican.  He  has 
voted  for  sixteen  presidential  candidates. 
A  friend  of  education,  he  has  served  for 
years  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 
assisted  in  the  erection  of  four  school 
houses  in  his  district.  Religiously  Mr. 
Coster  affiliates  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  A  resident  of  De  Kalb  coimty 
for  a  half  century,  has  enabled  him  to  form 
many  acquaintances  throughout  the  entire 
county,  and  wherever  known  is  universally 
esteemed. 


MARCUS  W.  COLE,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  banking  business  at  Kingston, 
is  one  of  De  Kalb  county's  self-made  men. 
He  was  born  in  Lockport,  Niagara  county. 
New  York,  February  8,  1836,  and  is  the 
son  of  Washington  and  Harriet  (Stiles)  Cole, 
the  former  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  born 
in  1 8 10,  and  the  latter  of  New  York,  born 
July  16,  181 2.  They  were  married  in  New 
York,  from  which  state  the)'  moved  to 
Marshall.  Clark  county.  Illinois,  in  October. 
1836,  where  they  remained  until  October, 
1859,  when  they  came  to  Kingston,  De  Kalb 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  in  which  he  continued  until  his 
death  July  21,  1889.  His  wife  survived 
him  some  years,  and  died  January  14,  1898. 
Their  family  number  six  children,  five  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity.  Marcus  W.  being 
the  eldest  of  the  family.  Washington  Cole 
was  a  sober,  hard-working,  honest  man, 
who  attended  strictly  to  his  own  affairs. 
His  wife  was  an  extremely  refined  and  cult- 
ured lady,  and  was  liberalh'  educated.  Her 
superior  mind  governed  the  home  and 
trained  the  voung. 


i 


MARCUS  W.   COLE. 


LIBRARY 

Of  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


9' 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Marshall,  Clark  county, 
Illinois,  first  attending  the  common  schools, 
and  subsequently  the  Marshall  Academy, 
from  which  he  was  graduated.  During  his 
school  da\'s,  he  assisted  in  one  of  the  print- 
ing offices  as  compositor,  and  became  quite 
proficient  in  that  line.  He  arrived  in 
Kingston.  De  Kalb  county,  .April  4,  1856, 
and  in  the  summer  following  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  employment  of  his  uncle. 
Dr.  J.  \V.  Stiles,  who  was  a  prominent  den- 
tist, real  estate  owner  and  money  lender. 
During  the  following  winters,  he  faithfully 
and  satisfactorily  taught  three  dififerent 
terms  in  Boone  count}-,  and  taught  four 
winters  in  De  Kalb  county,  a  vocation  in 
which  he  continued  a  portion  of  his  time 
until  1 868. 

In  1858,  Mr.  Cole  rented  a  farm,  and 
worked  it  on  his  own  account.  In  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  he  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Miss  .Anna  L.  Little,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  .Amy  Little,  and  to  them  one 
child  was  born.  .Alice  C.  .April  21.  1S61, 
and  now  the  wife  of  Judge  \\'.  L.  Pond,  of 
De  Kalb,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  else- 
where in  this  book.  .After  their  marriage 
they  fixed  up  a  house  on  a  forty-acre  lot, 
belonging  to  his  wife,  in  which  they  lived 
and  worked  in  connection  with  one  hundred 
acres  of  rented  land  until  1868,  when  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  upon  which  he  put  some  improve- 
ments, and  there  resided  until  1882,  when 
he  removed  to  Kingston,  and  formed  a  co- 
partnership with  Phillip  Heckman,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Heckman  &  Cole,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business.  This  part- 
nership continued  a  few  year.^,  when  the 
firm  agreed  to  e.\change  their  business  for  a 
farm  owned  bv  Dr.  C.  G.  Cowell.      During 


this" co-partnership,  the  firm  almost  uncon- 
sciously drifted  into  the  banking  business, 
on  a  small  scale  at  first,  but  which  after- 
wards became  of  enlarged  proportions.  Mr. 
Heckman  purchasing  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Cole  in  the  farm,  the  latter,  in  1888,  en- 
tered the  banking  business  on  a  large  scale, 
in  due  and  legal  form,  at  first  using  his  pri- 
vate residence,  but  in  189:;  erecting  a  suit- 
al)le  brick  structure,  with  vault  attached, 
and  which  building  he  now  occupies.  He 
does  a  good  banking  business  for  a  town 
the  size  of  Kingston,  the  business  averaging 
over  two  thousand  dollars  per  day. 

Mr.  Cole  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  in  his  town  and  township,  for  five 
years  he  served  as  constable,  and  was 
township  collector  for  eight  years.  In  1876 
he  was  appointed  school  treasurer,  which 
office  he  still  holds.  Between  1885  and 
1894  he  held  the  office  of  town  clerk,  and 
in  1895  was  elected  supervisor  of  his 
township,  and  re-elected  in  1897.  He  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Kingston,  during 
Harrison's  administration,  and  served  five 
years.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has 
been  repeatedly  appointed  as  delegate  to 
the  county  conventions  of  his  party,  and 
also  to  the  senatorial  and  congressional 
convention  and  to  state  conventions.  In 
all  the  positions  filled  he  has  been  true 
to  his  convictions.  He  has  never  deserted 
his  part}'  or  its  principles,  and  he  has  the 
entire  confidence  of  the  people. 

Mr.  Cole  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  initiated  in  the  Genoa 
Lodge,  Xo.  2  88,  and  was  raised  to  the  sub- 
lime degree  of  Master  Mason,  July  21, 
1866.  He  passed  through  the  Royal  Arch, 
in  March,  iSSS,  and  was  made  a  Sir  Knight 
in  the  same  year.  He  acted  as  secretary 
of    the    blue    lodge    from   the    time   he   was 


92 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


raised  until  1886.  He  was  transferred  to 
and  received  in  the  Kishwaukee  Lodge,  No. 
402,  in  the  last  named  year.  At  three  dif- 
ferent limes  he  was  sent  as  a  representative 
to  the  grand  lodge.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
and  originator  of  the  Woodmen's  annual 
picnic,  which  includes  the  Northern  Illi- 
nois and  Southern  Wisconsin  Picnic  .Asso- 
ciation. He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Clobo. 

Mr.  Cole  is  a  loyal  citizen  and  extremely 
patriotic,  and  was  only  prevented  from  en- 
tering as  a  soldier  in  the  great  civil  struggle 
t)y  disability  incurred  while  operating  a 
threshing  machine  in  November,  1862, 
while  making  preparations  to  enlist.  'l~he 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  (jf  Kingston 
made  hitn  an  honorary  member  in  1886, 
and  in  the  work  of  the  post  he  takes  great 
pride,  and  liberally  contributes  to  its  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole  are  members  of  the 
Free  Will  Baptist  church,  and  active  in 
every  holy  ami  righteous  enterprise  that 
may  be  in  progress.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
church  in  Kingston,  and  has  filled  the  office 
of  Sunday  school  superintendent  for  more 
than  fifteen  years,  and  is  yet  serving  cred- 
itably in  the  same  position.  For  six  years 
he  has  served  as  clerk  of  the  Fox  river 
quarterly  meeting  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
church. 

Mrs.  Cole  was  born  in  Aurora,  Erie 
county.  New  York,  July  24,  1840.  Her 
parents,  Henry  and  Amy  Little,  removed  to 
Illinois,  in  1845,  locating  in  Kingston  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county,  where  they  remained 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr. 
Little's  death  occurred  August  18,  1858, 
while  that  of  his  wife  took  place  Septem- 
ber 15,  1891.  Mrs.  Cole  is  a  refined  and 
modest  lady,  and   like   her  husband  is  quite 


popular.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps,  of  Kingston,  of  which  she 
has  the  honor  of  being  president.  She 
has  also  been  highly  honored  by  being  ap- 
pointed aid  to  Carrie  Thomas  Alexiinder, 
department  president.  She  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Eastern  Star,  and  of  the  Emi- 
nent Ladies  Garrison.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cdlf 
are  very  desiral)le  companions,  ever  read\ 
to  greet  a  friend  or  entertain  a  visitor. 


HERBERT  W.  I'.W,  one  of  the  editors 
and  proprietors  of  the  Dc  Kalb  l\e- 
view,  is  one  of  tlie  best  known  men  in  I)f 
Kalb  county,  with  a  national  reputation. 
He  w^as  born  February  28,  1859,  in  Squaw 
Grove  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
and  is  the  son  of  Edwin  H.  and  Ann  Hay- 
wood Fay,  natives  of  New  York  and  Maine, 
and  the  grandson  of  Horace  W.  I*'ay,  who 
came  to  De  Kalb  coimty,  from  New  York, 
in  1838.  For  several  years  the  grandfather 
served  as  county  surveyor  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, and  as  a  patriot,  he  enlisted  during  the 
war  for  the  Union,  and  ser\'ed  his  country 
faithfully  and  well,  giving  up  his  life  in  its  de- 
fense, at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  in  the  spring 
of  1863.  Edwin  Fay,  the  father,  also  set- 
tled in  De  Kalb  county,  in  1838,  and  after- 
wards on  a  soldier's  land  warrant,  obtained 
for  services  in  the  Sixteenth  Kentucky  In- 
fantry, with  which  he  was  connected  for 
sixteen  months  durmg  the  Mexican  war, 
obtained  a  tract  of  land.  He  is  yet  living 
in  the  village  of  Hinckley,  but  his  good  wife 
passed  to  her  reward  November  1  i,   1884, 

Herbert  W.  Fay,  our  subject,  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  township,  and  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.      He  later  attended  college  at 


THE   BI0GR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


9.1 


Monmouth,  Illinois,  for  three  years,  tanght 
school  one  term,  and  then  purchased  a 
third  interest  in  the  Hinckley  Review,  and 
remained  in  company  with  Tomblin  Broth- 
ers, the  former  proprietors,  from  May, 
1880,  to  1883,  when  he  became  sole  pro- 
prietor. In  March,  1SS7,  he  removed  to  De 
Kalb  where  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  I)e  Kalb  Review,  in  company  with  D. 
W.  Tyrrell.  This  is  a  flourishing  weekly 
paper,  and  a  stanch  advocate  of  Republican 
principles,  with  a  gr<jwing  circulation  of 
fifteen  hundred  copies. 

.At  Hinckley,  Illinois,  September  24, 
1884.  Mr.  Fay  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Nellie  A.  Sebree,  also  a  native  of 
Squaw  Grove  township,  born  December  2  i , 
1864,  and  the  daughter  of  William  .M.  and 
Rosetta  Sebree.  To  this  happy  union  there 
was  born  Earl  Owen,  October  24,  1885. 
William  M.  Sebree,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Fay, 
is  probably  the  oldest  living  settler  in  De 
Kalb  county.  He  is  a  native  of  Indiana, 
born  February  7,  1833,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  Sebree,  a  native  of  Mrginia,  born  .Au- 
gust 2,  1808.  With  his.  father,  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  county,  in  1834,  when  but  little 
more  than  a  year  old.  and  has  here  since 
spent  his  entire  life. 

Horace  W.  Fay,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  ver^-  prominent  man  in  polit- 
ical affairs,  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  legislature,  from  1848  to  1850.  .As 
a  surveyor  he  laid  out  nearly  all  of  De  Kalb 
county.  His  grandson  has  received  his 
mantle,  (ur  he,  too,  is  a  prominent  young 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  is 
the  present  county  surveyor  of  De  Kalb 
county.  He  served  for  three  years  as  a 
member  of  the  De  Kalb  board  of  educa- 
tion. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Sons    of    \'eterans,    Chicago     Press    Club, 


I\nights  of  Pythias,  Royal  .Arcanum,  Knights 
of  the  Cilobe  and  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  While  residing  in  Hinckley  he 
served  as  village  clerk  and  was  also  town 
clerk  of  Squaw  Grove  township.  He  is  a 
man  of  versatile  talents  and  has  a  decided 
predilection  for  a  literary  career.  He  pos- 
sesses a  fine  discriminating  taste  for  artistic 
work  and  is  an  accomplished  draughtsman, 
while  his  pencil  specimens  are  very  fine. 

Once  in  a  while  one  meets  a  man  who 
is  quietK  pursuing  a  line  of  work  in  the 
achievement  of  a  great  purpose,  and  whose 
high  aims  and  patient  labors  are  never  sus- 
pected until  suddenly  revealed  and  the  great 
service  that  is  being  rendered  the  world  is 
recognised.  Such  a  man  is  Herbert  W. 
Fay,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr  I'ay 
is  a  collector  of  historical  portraits  as  well 
as  an  able  editor,  and  has  now  one  of  the 
largest  private  collections  of  portraits  of 
notable  people  in  the  world.  The  collec- 
tion was  begun  by  Mr.  Fay  in  1869,  first  by 
collecting  the  faces  of  his  friends  in  an  or- 
dinary' album.  .After  that  was  filled  he  began 
another,  and  then  one  with  the  likenesses 
of  distinguished  persons.  Book  after  book 
was  filled  until  his  albums  were  discarded 
and  large  showcases  were  substituted.  His 
collection  now  numbers  fifty  thousand  pho- 
tographs of  people  in  all  spheres  of  life.  He 
has  photographs  of  nearly  all  the  crowned 
heads  of  the  nations  of  the  globe.  The 
collection  includes  ninety  different  sittings 
of  Lincoln  and  twenty-five  of  Longfellow. 
He  is  the  owner  of  the  McXulta  original 
negative  of  Lincoln  and  has  photographs  of 
kings,  queens,  presidents,  ex-presidents, 
judges  of  the  supreme  court.  United  States 
senators,  representatives,  authors,  scientists, 
inventors,  artists,  etc.  This  collection  is 
the  result  of  twenty-nine   jears  of   hard  la- 


94 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


bor  and  is  worth  going  hundreds  of  miles  to 
see. 

A  few  years  ago  he  conceived  the  idea 
to  establish  a  portrait  loan  agency  for  the 
benefit  of  publishers  of  books,  magazines 
and  newspapers  and  has  worked  up  a  good 
business  in  this  line,  In  this  way  he  made 
what  was  once  a  fad  a  source  of  revenue. 
He  was  associate  editor  of  the  National 
Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography,  pub- 
lished in  New  York,  and  many  of  the  por- 
traits used  to  illustrate  this  great  work  are 
from  his  collection.  He  furnished  at  one 
time  five  hundred  pictures  of  prominent 
people  of  this  and  other  countries  for  the 
Americanized  edition  of  the  Encyclopedia 
Brittanica.  His  series  of  Lincoln  portraits 
were  used  in  McClure's  Life  of  Lincoln. 
Notwithstanding  his  \aried  attainments  Mr. 
Fay  is  a  very  modest  man. 


MRS.  SARAH  CHAPMAN,  widow  of 
Julius  Chapman,  was  born  in  New 
York  state  in  1823.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Jane  Durham,  her  father  being 
a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1798.  He 
removed  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in 
1836,  and  the  following  year  made  a  perma- 
nent location  in  Genoa.  He  became  the 
owner  of  a  vast  amount  of  land  on  which  he 
built  extensively.  A  man  of  marked  ability 
and  influence,  he  held  many  offices  of  im- 
portance in  the  early  days.  He  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  for  some  years  as  well  as  super- 
visor of  the  township.  For  several  years 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  keeping 
a  general  store,  but  failing  health  caused 
him  to  abandon  it.  He  died  in  February, 
1855,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  His 
wife,  Jane  Wager,  died  in  November  of  the 
same  year. 


Julius  Chairman,  the  husband  of  Mrs. 
Sarah  Chapman,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1812,  and  who  removed  to  Genoa,  De 
Kalb  county,  in  1837.  By  trade  he  was  a 
carpenter,  at  which  he  worked  for  several 
years  after  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county. 
He  was  an  extensive  dealer  in  real  estate 
and  at  one  time  owned  eleven  hundred  acres 
in  De  Kalb  county.  He  was  a  live  business 
man,  knowing  when  to  buy  and  when  to 
sell.  As  he  advanced  in  years  he  abandoned 
his  trade,  except  to  work  on  his  own  prop- 
erty, and  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  held  the  oftict'  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  supervisor  and  other  oiificial  positions, 
and  was  looked  to  as  a  man  of  influence  in 
his  neighborhood.  He  married  Miss  Sarah 
Durham,  in  September,  1842,  at  Genoa. 
After  nearly  fifty  years  of  a  happy  married 
life  he  was  called  to  his  reward  in  October, 
1891.  About  1867  Mrs.  Chapman  took  to 
live  with  her  a  niece,  Edna  Harris,  a  daugh- 
ter of  her  deceased  sister  Caroline,  wife  of 
L.  C.  Harris.  This  niece  grew  to  be  an 
accomplished  young  lady,  knowing  only  the 
love  of  her  foster  mother,  who  loved  her  as 
her  own.  In  September,  1 881.  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Charles  R.  Burton,  a  young 
farmer,  and  to  this  happy  union  three  chil- 
dren were  born:  Jessie  F.,  Edgar  C.  and 
Sidney  F.  Mrs.  Burton  was  born  in  Genoa 
December  31,  1861.  Charles  R.  Burton 
was  l^orn  in  Elgin,  Kane  county.  Illinois,  in 
March,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of  Francis  and 
Mary  (Pool)  Burton,  the  former  a  native  of 
Canada  and  the  latter  of  England.  In 
1840  they  came  from  Canada  to  Illinois, 
locating  in  Kane  county,  on  the  farm  where 
they  now  reside.  Charles  Burton  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Kane  count)'  and  came  to 
De  Kalb  count}'  in  1878,  where,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  years,  he  has  since  con- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


95 


tinued  to  reside.  His  principal  work  is 
farming,  but  at  times  he  has  been  engaged 
in  butter  and  cheese  making.  He  is  a  prac- 
tical and  up-to-date  {armer,  and  has  lived 
on  the  home  farm  of  Mrs.  Chapman  for  the 
past  seven  years. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Chap- 
man, Michael  Durham,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary-  war.  and  was  as  brave  a 
soldier  as  ever  put  a  gun  to  his  shoulder. 
Mrs.  Chapman  is  now  the  owner  of  three 
large  farms,  embracing  five  hundred  acres 
of  choice  land.  She  is  a  woman  of  good 
business  ability,  and  is  well  known  and 
highl)-  esteemed  in  the  community  which 
has  so  long  been  her  home. 


JOHN  D.  JOHNSON,  foreman  of  the 
shipping  department  of  the  Ellwood 
Manufacturing  Companj',  Pleasant  street. 
De  Kalb,  Illinois,  and  who  makes  his  home 
in  Sycamore,  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  in 
1856.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Christina 
Johnson,  also  natives  of  Sweden,  and  who 
still  reside  in  their  native  land.  Under  the 
parental  roof,  our  subject  grew'  to  manhood, 
received  a  fair  education  in  the  parochial 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  si.xteen  years 
was  confirmed  as  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  With  that  laudable  desire  to  better 
himself  in  life,  and  believing  the  New  World 
afforded  better  opportunities  than  the  Old, 
he  determined  to  come  to  the  United  States. 
Accordingly,  in  18S2,  he  left  his  native 
land,  and  after  landing  at  New  York,  im- 
mediately came  west,  locating  in  Sycamore, 
where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside. 

In  June,  1884.  two  years  after  his  arri- 
val in  Sycamore,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Anna  Peterson,  and  they  now 
have  a  familv   of    ti\e  children  as    follows: 


Ella,  Arthur,  Herman,  Ebbe  and  Pearl. 
One  year  after  his  arrival,  he  applied  for 
naturalization  papers,  which  he  in  due  time 
secured,  and  has  since  been  recognized  as 
one  true  to  his  adopted  country.  He  now 
resides  with  his  family  in  a  pleasant  and 
comfortable  home  on  Harvester  street. 
Sycamore,  the  result  of  industry,  honesty 
and  economy. 

On  his  arrival  at  S\'camore,  Mr.  John- 
son at  once  entered  the  employ  of  the  Ell- 
wood Manufacturing  Company,  and  has 
now  filled  a  period  of  sixteen  years  in  its 
service.  His  present  position  of  foreman 
he  has  held  for  ten  years.  This  goes  to 
show  his  faithfulness  and  the  high  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  by  his  employers.  While 
never  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  any 
trade,  he  is  a  natural  mechanic,  and  can 
turn  his  hand  to  almost  any  kind  of  busi- 
ness. He  has  entire  charge  of  all  the  ship- 
ping of  the  large  factory  in  which  he  is  em- 
ployed, and  which  ships  farm  machinery  all 
over  the  United  States.  Previous  to  his 
coming  to  this  countr}-,  he  served  as  a  sol- 
dier for  two  years  in  his  native  land,  and  is 
even  now  ready  to  serve  his  adopted  coun- 
try, if  such  services  should  ever  be  needed. 
He  is  a  good  Christian  man,  and  a  member 
in  good  standing  in  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
church  in  Sycamore,  his  wife  being  also  a 
member  of  the  same  body. 


lOHN  H.  WOODBURY,  a  farmer  re- 
<J  siding  on  section  34,  Shabbona  town- 
ship, is  well  known  throughout  De  Ivalb 
and  adjoining  counties,  not  only  as  a  good 
farmer,  but  as  a  first-class  auctioneer,  hav- 
ing cried  many  sales  throughout  northern 
Illinois.  He  is  a  native  of  Tompkins  coun- 
ty. New  ^'uik,  boin  ill  thu  tuwn    dI    llluica. 


y6 


THE   BlOGRAinilCAL    RECORD. 


September  25.  1S34,  and  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  Woodbury,  a  native  of  \'ermont. 
and  a  {grandson 'of  William  Woodbury,  also 
a  native  of  \'ermonl,  ami  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  iSiJ.  The  latter  removed  fr(jni 
\'ermont  to  New  \ork  with  his  family 
and  became  one  of  the  piooneer  settlers 
of  Tompkins  count}',  where  he  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  land,  and  there  resided 
durinj;  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Thomas 
Woodl>ur\,  his  son  and  the  father  of  our 
subject,  there  grew  U>  manhood  and  mar- 
ried Mary  Williams,  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  a  daup;hter  of  Charles  Williams, 
also  an  early  settler  of  Tompkins  county. 
Forsome  years  after  his  marriage  Thomas 
Woodbury  owned  and  operated  a  farm  in 
Tompkins  county,  but  in  1843  nioved 
west,  arriving  in  Chicago,  June  10,  and 
locating  near  the  village,  as  it  then  was, 
he  there  remained  about  one  year,  then 
went  to  Wisconsin  and  made  a  permanent 
location  in  Rock  county,  near  Milton  Junc- 
tion, where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
and  engaged  in  farming,  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in  March, 
1850.  His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few 
months,  dying  in  .August  the  following  year. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  all 
of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Our  subject  was  but  nine  years  of  age 
when  the  family  came  to  Illinois.  For 
some  time  he  was  engaged  in  driving  the 
stage  from  Middletown  to  Janesville  and 
Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  and  later  went  to 
St.  Charles,  Illinois,  and  for  two  years  drove 
the  stage.  Leaving  the  stage  company  at 
Ottawa,  Illinois,  he  went  to  New  Orleans 
and  ran  on  the  river  a  part  of  two  years. 
Later  he  went  to  Havana,  Cuba,  from  which 
place  he  returned  and  located  in  southern 
Illinuib,  and  was  engaged  with  the    Strawns 


in  handling  cattle.  In  1S52  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  and  went  to  work  on  a  farm  by 
the  month  near  Sandwich,  and  the  follow- 
ing \ear  rented  land,  which  he  continued  to 
do  some  three  or  four  year.s.  He  later  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  si.Nty  acres  in  Shab- 
bona  township,  the  place  being  fairly  well 
improved.  From  time  to  time  he  purchased 
more  land,  some  of  which  he  sold  off,  but 
still  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  three  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  and  has  been  extensively 
engaged  in  general  farming,  stock-raising 
and  dairying.  In  1858  he  commenced  auc- 
tioneering in  LaSalle  count}',  and  followed 
that  occupation  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then 
abandoned  it  for  several  years,  but  later  re- 
sumed and  has  now  for  many  years  had  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  auction- 
eers in  northern  Illinois. 

On  the  29th  of  F"ebruary,  1856,  Mr. 
Woodbury  was  united  in  La  Salle  county, 
to  Miss  Laura  A.  Smith,  a  native  of  Herki- 
mer county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of 
Rensselaer  Smith,  who  located  in  La  Salle 
county,  in  1845.  This  wife  died  November 
8,  1890,  leaving  four  children.  Prof.  Will- 
iam W.,  married,  is  principal  of  the  schools 
at  Sandwich,  Illinois.  Elias  married,  and 
is  a  business  man  residing  in  Sutherland, 
Iowa.  .\l\in  J.  is  married,  and  is  now 
operating  the  home  farm.  Minnie  M.  is 
the  wife  of  Professor  Ladd,  a  teacher  of 
\\arren,  Illinois. 

Politically  Mr.  Woodbury  has  been  a 
Republican  since  the  organization  of  the 
part}'.  He  has  Served  two  or  more  terms 
as  supervisor  of  his  township,  and  for  some 
years  was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
His  extensive  travels  have  brought  him  in 
contact  with  all  classes  of  people,  and  while 
the  lime  spent  iti  the  school  room  was  com- 
parativeU'  short,  he    is    \'et  a    well-iMf(irme<l 


THE    BIOGR.APHICAL   RECORD. 


97 


man.  The  difference  e.xisting  between  the 
present  time  and  that  in  which  he  was  a 
stage  driver,  can  hardly  be  conceived,  but 
in  the  development  of  the  countrj-  he  has 
borne  no  inconsiderable   part. 


LEWIS  P.  HIX,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Sycamore  City  Weekl}',  is  a  native 
of  De  Kalb  county,  born  near  the  city  of 
Sycamore,  June  29,  1868.  His  father. 
Volaski  Hi.\,  was  born  April  25.  1837,  in 
Clarendon,  Orleans  county,  New  York,  and 
was  the  son  of  Ephraim  and  Laura  \V.  (^^'ill- 
iamstHi.x.  When  eleven  years  of  age  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  De  Kalb  county,  his  fa- 
ther purchasing  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  of  land  in  Kingston  township,  to  which 
he  subsequently  added  until  his  farm  con- 
sisted of  three  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
acres.  On  that  farm  Volaski  Hi.x  grew  to 
manhood  and  received  a  fair  common- 
school  education,  supplemented  by  a  few 
terms  at  Mt.  Morris  Seminary  and  ^^'heaton 
College. 

N'olaski  Hi.\  assisted  his  father  in  the 
work  of  the  farm  until  after  he  attained  his 
majority.  He  was  united  in  marriage  No- 
vember 17,  1864.  with  Miss  Louisa  Parker, 
a  native  of  Hammond,  Spencer  county,  In- 
diana, born  May  9.  1843,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  X.  and  Mary  A.  (Stillwell) 
Parker,  the  former  a  native  of  Ontario 
county,  Xew  York,  and  the  latter  of  Camp- 
bell county,  Kentucky.  They  became  the 
parents  of  five  children — May,  Lewis  P., 
Eva  L..  Floyd.  Arthur  and  Xellie,  the  lat- 
ter dying  in  infancy. 

Previous  to  and  after  his  marriage  Vo- 
laski Hix  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
connection  with  teaching.  For  some  years, 
however,  he  had  cherished  the  desire  to  en- 


gage in  newspaper  work.  In  1871  the  de- 
sire was  consummated  and  he  established 
the  De  Kalb  County  Farmer,  which  he  pub- 
lished monthly.  In  1872  the  paper  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Sycamore  City  Weekly,  which 
rapidly  grew  in  public  favor.  At  first  it  was 
independent  in  politics,  but  in  1876  it  sup- 
ported the  Republican  national  and  state 
ticket,  since  which  time  the  paper  has  been 
a  strong  supporter  of  the  Republican  prin- 
ciples. As  a  local  paper  it  took  front  rank, 
giving  special  attention  to  the  collection 
and  publication  of  local  news  gathered 
throughout  the  county.  Progressive  in  his 
ideas  he  gave  support  and  encouragement  to 
every  enterprise  calculated  to  build  up  his 
adopted  county.  He  was  especially  inter- 
ested in  agriculture  and  was  for  some  years 
and  until  his  death  secretary  of  the  De 
Kalb  County  Farmers'  Picnic  Association. 
He  was  unambitious  politically  and  unpre- 
tending, giving  his  time  to  the  building  up 
of  his  paper  and  the  advancement  of  the 
county.  He  died  April  20,  1893.  His 
widow  is  yet  living  in  Sycamore. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Ephraim  Hi.\,  was  born  December  9,  1803. 
while  his  great-grandfather,  Ephraim  Hix, 
Sr. ,  was  born  Xovember6,  1768.  The  fam- 
ily were  originally  from  England.  Ephraim 
Hix,  Jr. ,  was  a  very  successful  farmer  and 
succeeded  in  accumulating  a  large  property. 
He  died  on  the  old  farm  in  Kingston  town- 
ship January  13,  1863.  His  wife  survived 
him  some  years  and  died  at  her  residence  in 
Sycamore,  June  14,   1875. 

Lewis  P.  Hix,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
grew  to  manhood  in  Sycamore,  and  was 
educated  in  its  public  schools.  At  an  early 
age  he  entered  the  office  of  his  father's  pa- 
per to  learn  the  trade  and  also  the  business 
of  newspaper    publication.       He  made  lapid 


9S 


THi:    IHOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


progress  iii  the  various  branches  connected 
with  the  printing  and  pubhshing  of  a  news- 
paper, and  in  1S87  he  became  a  partner 
witli  liis  lather,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hi\ 
(S:  Son.  That  firm  name  lias  been  retained 
since  tlie  death  of  the  father. 

On  the  30th  of  January.  1896,  Mr.  Hi.\ 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Dora 
Hopkins,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Vesta  M. 
(Johnson)  Hopkins.  She  was  born  in  De 
Kalb  county,  of  whicli  her  parents  were 
early  settlers.  Her  father  was  a  brother  of 
Hon.  A.  J.  Hopkins,  the  present  member 
of  congress  from  the  district  of  which  De 
Kalb  county  is  a  part. 

Under  the  management  of  its  present 
proprietor  the  Sycamore  City  Weekly  main- 
tains the  excellent  reputation  established  by 
its  founder.  It  is  a  si.\-column  quarto,  neatly 
printed  and  ably  conducted.  It  is  a  strong 
Republican  paper  and  a  stanch  advocate  ol 
the  principles  of  that  party.  A  job  office  is 
connected  with  the  establishment.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Hixisa  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias. 


DUANE  J.  CAKNES,  senior  men)ber 
of  the  law  firm  of  Carnes  &  Dunton, 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  is  numbered  among  the 
leading  attorneys  of  northern  Illinois.  It 
is  said  that  the  poet  is  born,  not  made. 
The  successful  lawyer  has  to  be  both  born 
and  made — made  by  close  application, 
earnest  effort,  perseverance  and  resolute 
purpose.  The  abilities  with  which  nature 
has  endowed  him  have  to  be  strengthened 
and  developed  by  use,  and  only  by  merit 
can  the  lawyer  gain  a  pre-eminent  position. 
Mr.  Carnes  was  born  at  Pornfret,  Wind- 
sor county,  Vermont.  May  27,  1848,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Mary   Warren     Paine) 


Carnes,  the  former  a  native  of  ("larcmont, 
New  Hampshire,  born  May  ,0,  1823.  His 
father,  also  named  lohn,  was  from  the 
northern  ])arl  of  Ireland,  and  came  tcj  the 
United  States  about  1815,  locating  in  Clare- 
mont,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  a  man  of 
means  and  a  weaver  by  trade,  and  started  a 
woolen  mill  at  that  jjlace  of  considerable 
magnitude  for  those  da\s.  He  later  located 
at  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  same  business.  His  wife 
was  Persis  Whitmore.  They  had  two 
childrcni,  Charlotte  and  John.  The  former 
married  [ames  Parker,  who  subsetjuently 
located  in  Mayfield  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1875,  when  his  death  occurred. 
His  widow  survived  him  a  few  years. 

John  Carnes,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  came  to  Syca- 
more in  1875,  where  he  carried  on  farming 
in  a  small  way  near  the  city,  and  where  he 
still  resides.  He  brought  with  him  to  this 
country  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  which 
he  invested  in  various  ways,  principally  in 
loans.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Pomfret, 
\'ermont,  born  July  4,  1825.  Her  father 
was  Moses  Paine,  also  a  native  of  Pomfret, 
born  in  1780,  and  the  son  of  Asa  Paine, 
who  was  likewise  a  native  of  Pomfret,  Con- 
necticut. His  wife  was  Keziah  Childs,  a 
Pomfret,  Connecticut,  woman.  Mary  War- 
ren Carnes  was  a  niece  of  Hooper  Warren, 
who  came  west  at  an  early  day,  and  was  a 
noted  anti-sla\ery  editor  and  temperance 
agitator.  To  John  and  Mary  W.  Carnes 
two  children  were  born.  Duane  J.  and 
George  D.  The  latter  is  a  physician  in 
South   Haven,  Michigan. 

The  primar)-  education  of  our  subject 
was  in  the  district  schools  of  Pomfret.  He 
then    entered    the    State    Normal  School  at 


( 


DUANE  J.   CARNES. 


LIBRA  BY 
OF  Tr.C 

uNivERsirv  6f  twrna 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    KECOKD. 


lOI 


Randolph,  \eriiiont.  from  which  he  was 
graduated  when  twenty  years  old.  He  then 
came  west  and  settled  at  Lincoln,  Logan 
count}-,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. He  taught  there  from  the  fail  of  1868 
until  the  spring  of  1S69,  during  which  time 
he  pursued  his  law  studies,  a  part  of  the 
time  in  the  law  office  of  ^^'illiam  Jones,  of 
Lincoln.  Returning  to  \'ermont,  he  fin- 
ished his  second  course  in  the  Normal 
school  at  Randolph,  and  in  the  fall  of  1873 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
taught  school  for  a  time  and  continued  his 
law  studies  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Charles 
Kellum. 

In  1875,  Mr.  Carues  passed  an  e.xami- 
nation  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  begin- 
ning his  practice  in  partnership  with  Judge 
Kellum.  which  partnership  continued  two 
years.  Later  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Judge  Lowell,  which  lasted  about  six  years. 
When  Mr.  Lowell  went  on  the  bench.  Mr. 
Carnes  formed  a  partnership  with  Gilbert 
H.  Denton,  which  continued  till  the  fall  of 
1889,  when  it  was  dissolved,  and  a  partner- 
ship with  George  \V.  Dunton  was  formed, 
since  which  time  the  firm  of  Carnes  &  Dun- 
ton  has  been  in  e.xistence. 

Mr.  Carnes  was  married  June  i,  1880. 
to  Helen  A.  McMollan,  daughter  of  Archi- 
bald and  Ellen  (Black)  McMollan,  both 
natives  of  Scotland,  and  after  marriage 
came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
New  York,  later  moving  to  Ogle  county, 
Illinois.  He  died  in  1876,  and  his  wife  in 
1885,  at  Oregon.  Illinois.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Carnes  one  child  was  born,  Hope,  who 
yet  resides  with  her  parents.  Religiously 
Mrs  Carnes  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason, 
haviugtaken  the  Royal  .\rch  degree.  Politic- 
ally  he  is  a  Republican.      His  law   practice 


has  been  such  as  to  preclude  his  giving 
much  time  to  politics  or  to  aspire  to  any 
office.  For  several  years  he  has  been  local 
attorney  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
and  in  special  cases  has  been  attorney  for 
other  roads. 

Mr.  Carnes  is  a  ripe  jurist  and  an  able 
advocate.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar 
he  rose  rapidly  to  the  front  in  his  profes- 
sion, and  with  his  partners,  has  been  asso- 
ciated in  nearly  all  the  important  cases 
since  he  began  his  practice  that  ha\  e  come 
before  the  De  Kalb  county  bar.  He  is 
found  in  the  trial  of  most  of  the  criminal 
cases  in  the  county,  either  in  prosecution  or 
defense.  He  makes  such  cases  a  study,  and 
finds  in  them  problems  in  human  nature, 
where  his  analytical  mind  has  full  play  and 
serves  him  well.  His  special  forte  as  a  law- 
yer is  as  an  advocate,  and  he  rarely  fails  to 
bring  the  minds  of  the  jury  to  his  cause. 
When  before  the  court  or  jury,  he  always 
commands  the  closest  attention.  He  pos- 
sesses a  fund  of  humor  withal,  and  his 
quaint  sayings,  apt  illustrations  and  similies 
are  not  the  least  attractive  feature  of  his 
legal  oratory.  In  his  profession  he  has 
been  a  success,  and  holds  the  esteem,  not 
onlv  of  the  bench  and  bar.  but  of  the  peo- 
ple. He  is  possessed  of  tine  instincts,  char- 
itable and  kind  to  the  deserving,  01  pleasant 
manners,  and  an  attractive  conversation- 
alist. 


EDWIN"  JESSEN.  foreman  of  the  paint- 
ing and  dipping  department  in  the 
Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company,  Pleasant 
Street,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  resides  in 
a  pleasant  and  commodious  honie  which  he 
erected  for  himself  in  the  city  of  Sycamore, 
where  he  also  owns  other  valuable  lots.    He 


I02 


THi:    lUOC.RAl'HRAl.    RECORD. 


is  a  native  of  Ue  Kalb,  bom  June  3. 
1864,  and  is  the  son  of  Jess  and  Helen 
lessen,  who  iinniigrateei  from  Denmark  to 
this  country  in  1863,  locatin;,'  in  De  I^aib, 
Illinois,  where  they  resided  a  few  years, 
then  moved  to  Michigan,  where  the  father 
died.  His  wife  survived  him  a  few  years, 
dying  in  Sycamore,  June  13,    1893. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
.md  educated  principally  in  De  Kalb,  Illinois. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  began  to  work  for 
the  Ellwoods,  in  the  i)aint  shop  at  Syca- 
more, and  has  since  continued  the  work  for 
the  same  firm  for  eighteen  years,  several 
years  of  which  lime  he  has  been  foreman  of 
the  paint  shop.  On  the  25th  of  January, 
1893,  he  married  Miss  Emma  Ross,  who 
was  born  in  1.S70,  in  Mayfield  township,  and 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  Ross,  an  early 
settler  of  De  Kalb  county.  By  this  union 
there  is  one  chdd,  Archie  VViliner. 

Faithfulness  has  been  one  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  our  subj  -ct,  and  by  doing  well 
whatever  work  was  intrusted  to  him,  he  won 
not  only  the  esteem  of  his  employers,  but 
secured  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens, 
who  elected  him  to  the  office  of  alderman  of 
Sycamore,  in  which  position  he  served  two 
years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in  social 
life  he  is  greatly  esteemed,  ha\  ing  the  man- 
ners of  a  true  gentleman. 


ISRAEL  R.  WHITEMAN,  deceased,  was 
1  for  some  years  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
in  DeKalb  township.  He  was  born  in  Del- 
aware county,  Ohio,  in  1832,  and  was  the 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  Whiteman,  also  na- 
tives of  Ohio,  who  removed  to  this  county 
in  1846.  -\fter  their  arrisal,  John  White- 
man,  the  father,  purchased  one  hundred  and 


si.Kty  acres  of  land,  which  after  a  time  he 
sold  to  good  advantage,  buying  another 
tract  west  of  the  city,  near  where  stands 
the  present  new  normal  school  building. 
This,  too,  was  put  on  the  market  in  due 
time,  and  realized  to  its  owner  a  large  jjrof- 
it.  In  1872  he  purchased  another  farm  on 
which  he  remained  during  the  rest  of  his  life, 
dying  in  December,  1876,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years.  His  wife  survives  him, 
and  has  now  reached  the  ad\anced  age  of 
ninety-nine  years. 

Israel  R.  Whiteman  was  only  si.\  years 
of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
De  Kalb  county.  Here  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  with  the  e.Ncei)tion  of  ten 
years  in  Chicago,  as  foreman  for  Mr.  Beers. 
Even  at  that  time,  and  notwithstanding  his 
father's  removal  to  Michigan,  he  yet  claimed 
De  Kalb  as  his  lujine.  On  the  17th  of  June, 
1858,  he  married  Miss  Ellen  A.  Price,  born 
near  Cooperstown,  New  York,  July  28,  1 830, 
and  the  daughter  of  David  and  Polly  Price, 
who  removed  from  New  York  to  St.  Charles, 
Illinois,  in  1844.  David  Price  was  a  man 
of  good  repute  among  his  fellows,  and  for 
fifty  years  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  durmg  which  time  he 
held  the  office  of  class  leader  and  other  of- 
ficial positions.  For  four  years  he  was 
keeper  of  the  county-house  at  De  Kalb,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  the  position  in  a  most 
faithful  manner.  In  early  life  he  was  known 
as  Captain  Price,  having  been  captain  of 
militia  in  his  native  state.  His  interesting 
family  consisted  of  Lorenzo,  Marie,  Miner- 
va, Juliette  and  Ellen.  By  the  union  of 
Mr.  Whiteman  and  Ellen  Price,  two  children 
were  born.  Frances  M..  born  October  26, 
1856,  died  April  30.  1864,  and  Minnie  Grace, 
born  September  16,  1866,  who  married 
Charles  Graham  and  is  a  lesidcnt  of  Chicago, 


THi:    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


'O.^ 


While  Mr.  Whiteinan  wasJjy  occupation 
a  fanner,  he  was  also  a  natural  mechanic, 
and  at  one  time  invented  a  machine  for 
making  barb-wire  fence.  He  was  a  leading 
spirit  in  the  organization  of  the  Whiteman 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  Marsailles,  La- 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  with  a  capital  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  which  organization  was 
later  dissolved,  on  account  of  the  death  of 
Mr.  Whiteman.  His  death  was  immedi- 
ately caused  by  being  run  over  by  a  vehicle 
in  Chicago,  resulting  in  complications  which 
tinally  caused  his  death,  August  27,  1888, 
at  the  age  of  tifty-five  years.  F"raternall\' 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Masons,  and  was 
always  considered  a  trustworthy  man,  in  the 
various  relations  of  life,  one  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him. 


SAMLEL  M.  SANDERSON,  who  resides 
on  section  39,  Milan  township,  is  the 
owner  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  well 
improved  land,  which  is  kept  under  the  high- 
est state  of  cultivation.  He  was  born  in 
La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  July  31.  1853, 
and  is  the  son  of  Sander  H.  Sanderson,  a 
native  of  Norway,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  father,  Henry  Sanderson, 
who  located  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  be- 
ing among  the  first  of  the  Norwegian  nation- 
ality to  locate  in  that  county. 

Samuel  H.  Sanderson  was  the  oldest  of  a 
family  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  had  to 
walk  the  greater  part  of  the  way  from  Chi- 
cago to  La  Salle  count}'.  In  that  county 
he  married  Ann  Mjland.  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, who  came  to  this  country  in  childhoDd. 
The  occupation  which  Mr.  Sanderson  en- 
gaged in  La  Salle  county  was  that  of  a  farm- 
er, and  on  his  removal  to  De  Kalb  county, 
in    1863,  he   continued    that   vocation,  pur- 


chasing eighty  acres  of  unimproved  land,  to 
which  he  later  added  another  eighty  acres, 
giving  him  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  excellent  pirairie  land.  He 
became  quite  a  prominent  man  in  Milan 
township,  and  served  some  ten  years  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  also  held  other  official 
positions.  He  was  very  helpful  to  the  Nor- 
wegians settling  in  his  neighborhood  and 
did  them  many  a  good  turn.  He  died  in 
Milan  township  in  1883,  while  his  wife  pre- 
ceded him  onl\'  about  one  week. 

Samuel  M.Sanderson  was  second  in  order 
of  birth  in  the  family  of  ti\e  sons  and  four 
daughters,  who  grew  to  mature  years,  all  of 
whom  are  yet  living  and  are  married;  one, 
Ole,  died  in  infancy.  He  was  reared  in 
De  Kalb  count}',  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  attending  during  the  winter 
months,  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work  at 
other  seasons  of  the  years.  He  remained 
with  his  father  until  after  he  reached  his 
majority,  and  later  formed  a  partnership 
with  him  and  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  at  Lee  for  five  years,  during 
which  time  he  received  a  good  business 
training. 

In  La  Salle  count}',  Illinois,  September 
10,  1874,  Dr.  Sanderson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Betsey  K.  Halverson,  a  na- 
tive of  La  Salle  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
Knute  Halverson,  a  native  of  Norwa}-  and 
likewise  one  of  the  early  Norwegians  locat- 
ing in  La  Salle  county.  Immediately  after 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Sanderson  rented  a  farm 
and  later  purchased  eighty  acres  where  he 
now  resides,  and  on  which  he  added  eighty 
acres  adjoining,  making  him  a  tine  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  The  place 
was  partial!}'  improved  when  he  purchased, 
but  he  has  remodeled  the  house  and  erected 
various  outbuildings,  and    is  now  one  of  the 


1  u^ 


THE    BIOC.KAPiiUAl.    KHCORD. 


most  successful  larmcis  in  the  tovvnsliip. 
He  is  also  a  stockholder,  secretary  and  nian- 
aj^er  of  the  Lee  Creamery  Association,  an 
enterprise  which  has  been  (]uite  successful. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanderson  twelve  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  si.N  of  whom  died 
in  infancy  and  early  childhood.  The  living 
are  Harvey  C. ,  Sander  E.,  Eva  A.,  Kinnie 
O.,  Lester  E.  and  Vira  M.  Politically  Mr. 
Sanderson  is  a  I'icpublican,  and  has  given 
his  support  to  that  party  since  1876.  He 
has  taken  quite  an  active  part  in  local  poli- 
tics, and  was  elected  and  served  one  term 
as  township  collector,  and  in  1895  was 
elected  supervisor  of  his  township,  and  re- 
elected in  189S,  and  is  now  serving  his 
second  term.  He  has  made  a  \ery  faithfid 
and  efficient  officer,  rendering  complete  sat- 
isfaction to  his  constituents.  His  influence 
has  always  been  in  favor  of  good  schools, 
and  to  that  etui  he  has  given  much  of  his 
time  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 
clerk  of  his  school  district.  He  and  his 
wife  are  earnest  and  consistent  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  His  life  has  been  an 
active  one,  and  his  friends  are  many,  not 
only  in  Milan  township,  but  throughout  De- 
Kalb  and  Lee  counties. 


P1:TER  \AX  ALLEN"  (JLH.HOT,  of 
Shabbona,  Illinois,  is  a  highly  esteemed 
citizen  of  the  count\-,  who  dates  his  resi- 
dence here  since  June  11,  1845.  He  is  a 
native  of  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  born 
in  the  town  of  Victory,  January  21,  1822. 
On  his  father's  side  he  is  of  French  ancestry, 
his  great-grandfather,  Dr.  Ouilhot,  being  a 
native  of  France  and  a  surgeon  in  the 
French  Navy.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  British,  during  the  P'rench  and  English 
war  of  1765,  and  was  later    paroled  in  New 


York,  and  settled  in  Columbia  county.  He 
married, in  New  York,  a  Miss  Vanderpool,  a 
native  of  Holland,  a  member  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  New  York,  from  that 
county.  His  son, James  Ouilhot,  was  born 
in  Columbia  county.  Henry  Ouilhot,  the 
son  of  James  Quilhot,  was  the  father  of  our 
subject.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Kinderhook,  Columbia  county,  New  York, 
in  1789.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
county  and  served  in  the  war  of  181  2.  In 
1817  he  moved  to  Cayuga,  being  one  of  its 
first  settlers.  Before  moving  to  that  count}', 
he  was  married,  in  Kinderhook,  to  Miss 
Hannah  \'an  .\llen,  also  a  native  (jf  that 
place,  but  uf  Holland  parentage,  the  Nan 
Aliens  beingamong  the  pioneers  of  Columbia 
county.  On  his  removal  to  Cayuga  county 
he  opened  up  a  farm  and  there  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  dying  September  11, 
1828,  when  about  forty  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  very  vigorous  and  active  inan,  and  took 
pride  in  doing  more  work  than  any  other 
one  man  could  do.  In  one  day  he  cradled 
seven  acres  of  rye,  which  brought  on  a  con- 
gestive chill,  the  cause  of  his  death.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  passed  away  in  Shab- 
bona township,  De  Kalb  county.  May  20, 
1867. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  seventh 
in  the  family  uf  ten  children  born  to  his 
parents,  all  of  whom  grew  to  mature  years. 
James,  born  in  Kinderhook,  in  1809,  married 
in  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  located  and 
where  his  wife  died.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  United  States  Arm}',  was  taken  sick, 
and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Governor's  isl- 
and, about  1848.  Myndert  V.,  also  born  in 
Kinderhook,  in  181 1,  married  in  New  York, 
came  to  Kalb  county,  in  1853,  and  here 
died.  Catherine,  born  in  1813,  married 
Daniel  Husk,  who  has  since  died.      She  now 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


.OS 


resides  in  Buffalo.  New  York.  Elizabeth, 
born  in  1815,  married  Peter  .Miller,  and 
they  now  reside  in  the  town  of  Shabbona. 
Maria  married  Nicholas  I.  Kipple.  of  Ren- 
ssellaer  county.  New  York.  They  came 
west  in  1849.  settled  in  De  Kalb  county, 
where  her  death  occurred.  Margaret 
married  Henry  Kirkpatrick,  and  settled  in 
Kansas;  she  died  May  12,  1S97,  in  Shabbona. 
Peter  \".  is  the  subject  of  this  review.  Jane 
married  Hiram  P  .\llen.  who  was  murdered 
in  Sandwich,  Illinois,  February  15,  1880. 
Mrs.  Allen  now  resid-js  in  Chicago.  Cornel- 
ius \'.,  who  came  to  De  Kalb  county  in 
1849.  now  resides  in  Shabbona.  living  a 
retired  life.  Caroline  married  William 
Marks.  Jr..  and  settled  in  De  Kalb  county  in 
1845,  and  both  are  now  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools, 
supplemented  by  an  attendance  at  Red 
Creek  .\cademy.  He  remained  on  the  farm 
for  some  years,  after  attaining  his  majority, 
then  commenced  to  learn  the  painter's 
trade,  .\fter  the  first  year  he  received 
journeyman's  wages,  having  become  an  e.\- 
pert  painter.  That  trade  he  followed  until 
he  came  west  in  1S45.  Leaving  home  he 
came  by  way  of  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo,  and 
thence  by  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  being  ac- 
companied by  his  sister  and  brother-in-law. 
They  came  direct  to  De  Kalb  county  and 
located  in  Shabbona  township,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  our  subject  entered  a  tract  of 
government  land,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  When  he  went  to  get 
his  first  deed  recorded,  in  1846.  he  rode  an 
Indian  pon\-  across  the  prairie  to  Sycamore, 
and  as  the  old  frame  court  house  had  not 
been  inclosed  by  a  fence  he  rode  right  up 
to  the  door  of  the  s;ime       In   that  voar  he 


sowed  twelve  acres  of  wheat  on  the  farm  of 
a  Mr.  Miller.  In  1847  he  returned  to  Cav- 
uga  county.  New  York,  and  worked  at  his 
trade  for  several  months.  In  October,  1848, 
he  again  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1849  built  a  small  frame 
house,  for  which  he  obtained  the  siding  and 
finished  lumber  in  Chicago.  He  at  once 
commenced  to  improve  the  place,  and  in 
1854  purchased  eighty  acres  adjoining,  on 
which  he  later  moved.  In  1863  he  built  a 
large  and  substantial  residence,  erected  a 
barn  a-id  other  outbuildings,  thus  putting 
the  place  in  a  homelike  condition.  He  con- 
tinued to  cultivate  tiie  farm  until  18S4. 
when  he  rented  the  place,  and  four  years 
later  removed  to  the  village  of  Shabbona. 
where  he  has  since  lived  a  retired  life.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  De  Kalb  county  farm,  he  owns 
two  hundred  acres  in  .Morris  count\ .  Kan- 
sas. Mr.  Ouilhot  was  married  in  Somonauk. 
De  Kalb  county.  .August  8.  1850,  to  Miss 
Frances  M.  Bacon,  a  native  of  Onondago 
county.  New  York,  where  she  was  reared 
and  educated,  and  a  daughter  of  Lyman 
Bacon,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
county  and  one  of  the  first  members  of  the 
county  board  of  supervisors.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  there  marrie.l. 
coming  from  Onondago  county  to  De  Kalb 
county.  Illinois,  in  [846.  By  this  union 
there  are  si.x  children.  John  J.  married,  in 
1879.  Fannie  Burchard,  and  they  now  re- 
side on  the  old  home  farm.  Henry  Bacon 
is  a  farmer  residing  in  Morris  county.  Kan- 
sas; he  married  Alice  Prescott,  of  Kansas, 
in  February,  1S76.  Helen  E.  is  now  the 
wife  of  Richard  K.  .\ndersori,  and  they  now 
reside  in  Fort  Scott,  Kansas.  Josephine 
married  John  A.  Swett,  and  they  reside  in 
Harvey.  Illinois,  where  he  is  employed  as 
station   agent.      Franklin   \'.    married    Miss 


to6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Ida  Pattdii,  and  they  reside  in  C^hicago, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness. Lila  Sarah  married  Henry  Loucks, 
and  they  reside  in  \'ictor  township,  De 
Kalb  couiitw  where  he  is  engaged  in  agri- 
eiiltinai  pursuits. 

Politicail\'  Mr.  (hiilhot  is  a  stanch  Re- 
puhHcan,  having  voted  for  ever}  presiden- 
tial nominee  of  the  party  from  I'remont  to 
McKinle\'.  His  hrst  presidential  ballot, 
however,  was  cast  for  James  K.  Polk.  He 
has  been  iionored  by  his  fellow  citizens 
with  varioiis  local  offices,  being  elected 
highway  commissioner  on  the  organization 
of  his  townshiji,  and  later  served  as  assessor 
at  different  times.  In  1862.  he  was  first 
elected  as  a  niember  of  the  board  of  county 
supervisors,  and  at  different  times  has 
served  seven  terms.  In  1S83,  he  was  chair- 
man of  important  ( ommittees  and  has 
served  on  almost  all  the  important  commit- 
tees of  the  board.  While  he  did  not  enter 
the  service  during  the  Civil  war,  he  showed 
his  patriotism  and  interest  in  the  cause  by 
contributing  to  the  support  of  the  families 
of  volunteers  and  in  raising  the  bounties 
required  to  till  the  quota  of  his  township. 
He  gave  fully  twenty  per  cent,  of  the 
amount  contributed  by  the  entire  township 
of  the  first  cash  subscription  and  also  con- 
tributed liberally  for  other  purposes.  For 
two  years  and  a  half  of  the  war  he  gave 
much  of  his  time  in  affording  relief  to  sol- 
diers" families  of  the  volunteers.  He  per- 
formed various  duties  pertaining  to  the  en- 
listment of  recruits   without  remuneration. 

Mrs.  Ouilhot  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  and  while  not  a  mem- 
ber himself,  Mr.  Ouilhot  attends  the  church 
with  his  wife  and  gives  of  his  means  to 
its  support.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Shabbona   Lodge,  No.  374,  A.  F.  cS:  .A.  M., 


having  united  with  the  order  in  1863.  For 
twenty-five  consecutive  years  he  has  served 
as  treasurer  of  the  lodge.  Mr.  Ouilhot 
has  been  a  resident  of  Illinois  for  more  than 
half  a  centm-y.  When  he  came  there  were 
but  fifteen  families  in  Shal)bona  township, 
and  old  Shabbona  was  his  neighbor.  'i"he 
Indians  resided  in  the  neighborliood  until 
the  fall  of  1849,  when  the}'  went  to  a  reser- 
vation in  Kansas.  Nfr.  Ouilhot  is  well 
known  throughout  Ue  Kalb  count}-,  and  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  bv  all. 


7'HOM.\S  j  WINDERS,  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Malta  Record  and  Cres- 
ton  Observer,  makes  his  home  in  the  for- 
mer place,  and  is  recognized  as  one  who 
has  the  best  interests  of  his  adopted  county 
at  heart,  always  ready  to  advocate  any 
measure  that  will  advance  the  best  interests 
of  the  community.  He  was  born  in  Neva- 
daville,  Colorado,  January  20,  1863,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  N.  and  Susan  (Powell) 
Winders,  both  natives  of  Washington  coun- 
ty, Maryland,  born  about  1831.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  civil  engineer  by  profession,  and 
removed  from  his  southern  home  to  Polo, 
Illinois,  in  1855,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
grain  business  for  several  years.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
with  his  family,  and  there  remained  about  ' 
two  years,  going  from  thence  to  Nevada- 
ville,  Colorado,  where  be  engaged  in  min- 
ing. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  in  his  sev- 
enth year,  when  he  came  to  Ogle  county, 
and  after  atten  ling  the  common  schools  for 
a  time,  entered  the  normal  school  at  Val- 
paraiso, Indiana.  He  also  took  a  course  in 
.■\ument's  Business  College  at  Sterling,   Illi- 


THE    IJKJC.RAPHICAL    RECORD. 


io; 


tiois,  concluding     his    studies    at    Northern 
Illinois  College,   Fulton,  Illinois 

On  leaving  school,  Mr.  Winders  removed 
to  Iowa  where  he  engaged  in  the  printing 
business,  remaining  there  until  1S87,  when 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  in  which  city  he 
engaged  in  like  business  until  1894.  In 
the  spring  of  1894  he  returned  to  Polo, 
Ogle  county,  Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the 
Malta  Record  and  Creston  Obser\er,  be- 
coming associated  with  E.  E.  O'Kane.  In 
February,  1895,  he  purchased  the  interest 
(if  Mr.  O'Kane  and  became  sole  proprietor 
of  the  papers.  .\t  that  time  the  plant  was 
at  Creston,  but  in  the  fall  of  1895  he  re- 
moved it  to  Malta.  In  March,  1S97,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  F.  E.  Campbell, 
which  continued  one  year,  when  he  re-pur- 
chased and  again  became  sole  proprietor. 

On  the  I  5th  of  July,  1896,  Mr.  Winders 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  .Alice  A. 
("hapell,  widow  of  the  late  Clarence  E. 
Chapell.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church,  uniting  in  i  8g6 
under  the  pastorate  of  Re\'.  -S.  S.  I'nger. 
They  are  both  active  workers  in  the  church 
and  in  the  Young  People's  Society  of  Chris- 
tian Endeavor.  Mr.  Winders  is  now  serv- 
ing as  trustee  and  usher  in  the  church.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  an 
active  worker  in  the  interest  of  the  party, 
advocating  its  principles  with  voice  and  pen, 
and  often  serving  as  delegate  to  the  various 
conventions  including  congressional  and 
state. 

Mr.  Winders  is  a  popular  man  and  his 
companionship  is  sought  by  \arious  socie- 
ties. He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  at  Malta,  of  which  he  was 
clerk  in  1897.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Mystic  Workers   of  the  World,  and  h;\s 


been  secretary  of  the  order  since  its  organi- 
zation, January  15,  1896.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Malta, 
of  which  he  has  been  keeper  of  the  records 
and  seals  since  March  25,  1896.  He  is  also 
a  charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Globe  at  Malta,  and  at  the  date  of  its  or- 
gani;;ation  he  was  elected  judge  and  one  of 
the  board  of  managers,  and  is  now  past  su- 
preme judge.  He  is  a  member  of  the  En- 
dowment Rank  of  the  Insurance  order  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  each  of  these 
organisations  he  has  taken  an  acti\e  inter- 
est and  is  an  influential  member. 


WIEEIAM  .\.  lUEHE,  a  well-known 
business  man  oi  Sycamore,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  |une  5, 
1857,  and  is  the  son  of  Eouis  A.  and  Sophia 
(Eudwig)  Buehl,  both  of  whom  are  natives 
of  Germanv.  The  father  was  born  near 
Heidelberg,  January  I  j;,  1827.  .At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  came  to  .America,  leaving 
ill  time  to  escapie  forced  service  in  the 
army.  For  a  time  he  made  his  hon^e  in 
New  York  Cit)',  where  he  married  and 
where  several  of  his  children  were  born. 
He  was  for  some  years  captain  of  one  ol 
the  crews  of  engines  connected  with  the 
tire  department,  under  the  old  n-i^hin-, 
where  jealousies  were  rife  and  fights  fre- 
quent between  rival  crews  at  fires.  On  one 
of  the  occasions,  he  was  struck  on  the  back 
of  his  head  with  a  speaking  trumpet,  and 
was  unable  to  discharge  his  duties  while 
that  fire  continued.  Frequently  the  ri\al 
crews  would  turn  the  stream  upon  each 
other  instead  of  upon  the  flames.  .About 
1854,  he  removed  to  Buffalo,  and  some 
time  later  he  became  interested  in  the  man- 
ufacture  of  shoes,  at   one   time   having  the 


loS 


THE    BIOnRAPHlCAI.    Ki:C()Rl). 


larf^est  slioe  store  in  Buffalo.  Hr  was  a 
a  ^leat  tra\cli'r  and  traversed  the  ;.;renter 
part  of  Europe  and  America.  During  the 
Civil  war,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
service,  but  the  war  closed  before  he  reached 


the 


iront. 


.\bout     1872    he    retired   from 


acti\e  business,  and  took  life  easy  nntil  his 
death,  .\|)ril  1,  1887.  His  wife  was  born 
May  10,  1827,  in  Hohenber;;,  Kunifjfalz, 
Bavaria,  (iermany,  and  came  to  .\merica 
with  her  parents,  the  voyajje  lastinj;  forty- 
seven  days.  To  I-evvis  A.  and  So])hia 
r.iirhl  si.N  sons  and  one  daughter  were 
born,  the  latter  dyinj;  at  the  aj^e  of  fifteen 
years.  The  h\e  brothers  of  our  stibject  yet 
reside  in  Buffalo,  where  they  are  engaged 
in  business. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent 
in  his  n.itive  city,  where  he  attended  school 
No.  13,  Oak  street.  Buff. do,  unlil  the  age 
of  fourteen.  Like  many  others,  he  regrets 
quitting  so  soon,  but  he  was  ambitious  to 
get  to  earning  his  own  li\ing.  He  was  ap- 
prentici'd  to  a  company  oi  manufacturing  jew- 
elers, with  wJHjm  he  worked  fourjears,  then 
learned  watch-making,  at  which  he  worked 
until  coming  west  in  1878.  He  located  first 
at  Appleton,  Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in 
manufacturing  jewelry  and  doing  repair 
work.  After  remaining  there  some  five  or 
six  3  ears,  he  moved  to  Kockford,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  same  business  for 
about  fifteen  months.  He  then  sold  out 
and  for  eight  months  traveled  in  California 
for  tile  benefit  of  his  son's  health. 

Mr.  Buehl  was  married  in  Loomis,  Mich- 
igan, July  27,  1879,  to  Miss  Annie  Ostran- 
der,  born  in  Howard  township,  province  of 
Ontario,  Canada,  and  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Gosnell)  Ostrander.  By  this 
union  four  children  have  been  born — Buelah, 
Russell,  \\illie  and  Fan  is.      Of  these  Willie 


is  now  deceased.  The  family  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
I'^raternaliy  Mr.  Buehl  is  a  Mason,  and  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  National  Union. 
On  returning  to  Illinois,  Mr.  Buehl  came 
to  Sycamore,  purchased  a  jewelry  store,  and 
continued  in  business  until  the  spring  of 
1898,  when  lie  sold  his  store  in  order  to 
give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
manufacture  and  introduction  of  the  insu- 
lating apparatus,  invented  by  his  friend,  G. 
G.  Lewis,  with  whom  he  is  in  partnershi]) 
in  the  patent.  Of  these  patents  there  are 
four  in  number.  The  first  was  constructed 
on  the  plan  to  pump  the  insulating  liipiid  up 
to  the  wires.  This  worked  well  on  low 
wires,  but  was  not  satisfactory  on  wires  forty 
or  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  Another  ar- 
rangement on  the  same  principle  was  pat- 
ented, but  that  likewise  was  found  defec- 
tive. A  third  was  constructed,  with  a  box 
to  slide  along  the  wires,  which  principle  was 
found  to  be  the  correct  one,  and  a  fourth 
machine  was  constructed  and  patented, 
which  lias  oxercome  all  objections  and 
meets  all  contingencies  and  conditions. 
After  coating  the  wires  of  a  plant  in  a  neigh- 
boring town,  the  electric  company  noticed  a 
saving  of  fuel  on  the  first  daj".  The  appli- 
ance not  only  saves  leakage  of  electricity 
from  the  wires,  but  preserves  the  insulation 
for  many  years.  One  commendable  feature 
of  the  process  is  its  cheapness.  Having 
perfected  the  idea,  Buehl  &  Lewis  are  giving 
their  attention  to  introducing  it  to  the  pub- 
lic. 


CAPTAIN   ALMON   FOKD  PARKE  re- 
sides upon  a  fine  farin  in  sections  7,  8 
and  9,  Sxcamore  townshiji.      He   was    born 


CAPT.  A.   F.   PARKE. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


TH1-:    HKX'.RAl'HICAL    KIjokD. 


I  i  I 


in  the  town  of  Evans.  Erie  county.  New 
York.  January  25.  iX^s.  and  is  the  son  of 
Larmon  Z.  and  Martha  \V.  (Fenton)  Parke, 
the  former  born  in  1800,  and  the  latter  in 
1/99  The  paternal  grandfather,  Reuben 
Parke,  was  born  June  10,  1772,  and  died  in 
Indiana,  when  about  ninety  years  old.  He 
married  Elizabeth  R.  Ford,  a  daughter  of 
.\lmond  Ford,  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1S12. 
for  whom  our  subject  wa.s  named.  She 
was  bom  in  Connecticut  and  buried  in  De 
Kalb.  and  was  buried  on  her  ninety-fifth 
birthday.  Larmon  Z.  Parke  was  a  car- 
penter and  joiner  and  followed  that  trade 
until  compelled  to  give  it  up.  when  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  mason:  was  a  fine 
mason  and  followed  that  until  he  received  a 
stroke  of  paralysis,  during  the  war.  He 
resided  on  a  small  farm  near  De  Kalb  for 
many  years.  His  death  occurred  Septem- 
ber 14,  1885,  in  De  Kalb  where  he  was  then 
residing. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
district  schools  in  his  native  county  and 
state,  until  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  in 
the  meantime  assisting  in  the  farm  work 
during  the  summer  months.  The  family 
resided  about  eighteen  miles  from  Buffalo, 
to  which  city  he  hauled  the  farm  produce. 
In  1856  he  accompanied  his  parents  west, 
the  family  locating  in  De  Kalb  township. 
He  attended  the  De  Kalb  High  School,  and 
also  one  term  at  Mt.  Morris  Seminary, 
which  completed  his  school  life.  He  then 
taught  school  for  one  term.  His  father  fol- 
lowing the  trade  of  a  mason,  all  the  sons 
were  required  to  learn  the  same  trade,  and 
were  good  masons,  before  attaining  their 
majority.  Our  subject  learned  not  only  the 
brick  and  stone  mason  trade,  but  also  plas- 
tering. When  twenty  years  old,  he  hired 
his  time  from   his  father,  and   ff)llowed  ma- 


sonry on  his  own  account  until  the  second 
year  of  the  Civil  war,  doing  his  last  work 
in  the  fall  of  1S62.  on  a  srhool-honsc  in  De 
Kalb 

Believing  thai  it  was  his  duty  to  assist 
his  country,  Mr.  Parke  assisted  in  raising  a 
company,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service 
at  Di.xon.  Illinois,  September  2,  1S62,  as 
second  lieutenant  of  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  N'olunteer  In- 
fantry. With  his  regiment  he  was  sent  to 
Camp  Douglass.  Chicago,  from  which  place 
it  was  sent  to  Louisville.  Frankfort  and 
Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  thence  to  Nash- 
ville, and  wintered  at  South  Tunnel,  near 
the  latter  city.  While  in  ramp  at  South 
Tunnel,  Lieutenant  Parke  was  taken  sick 
with  txphoid  fever,  from  which  he  suf- 
fered two  months.  When  convalescent, 
he  was  assigned  to  dutv  with  the  pioneer 
corps  and  sent  to  Murphysborough.  Within 
three  months  after  being  mustered  into 
the  service,  our  subject  was  promoted  first 
lieutenant,  and  while  on  duty  with  the 
pioneer  corps,  the  captain  of  his  company 
resigned,  when  he  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain, and  ordered  back  to  take  command  of 
his  company. 

Soon  after  receiving  his  commission  as 
captain,  our  subject  joined  his  company  at 
Nashville,  and  reported  for  duty.  From 
Nashville,  with  his  regiment,  he  went  to 
the  Wauhatchie  \'alley.  and  in  the  spring 
of  1864  entered  on  the  Atlanta  Campaign. 
He  was  in  every  battle  during  that  cam- 
paign, but  never  was  wounded,  although 
shot  through  the  coat,  and  his  scabbard 
once  struck  with  a  minie  ball,  .\fter  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  the  Twentieth  .\rmy 
Corps,  of  which  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Illinois  Regiment  formed  a  part,  was  given 
n  r.st  aX.  .Atlanta.      The   father    "f    (aptiiin 


I  12 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Parke  having  received  a  stroke  of  paralysis, 
the  Captain  secured  a  lea\e  of  absence  and 
returned  home  for  seven  daj's.  On  return- 
ing to  his  regiment,  he  found  that  it  had 
gone  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  He  got  as 
far  as  Nashville,  then  went  to  Chattanooga, 
but  could  not  get  through.  He  was  then 
assigned  to  the  command  of  a  company  at 
Nashville,  and  for  a  time  was  under 
(ieneral  Thomas,  and  later  under  General 
Harrison.  After  Sherman  readied  the  sea. 
Captain  Parke  was  relieved  from  duty  in 
Tennessee,  where  he  had  been  serving  on 
the  military  commission,  trying  criminal 
cases.  Wlieil  the  commission  was  dissolved, 
he  received  an  order  to  report  to  his  com- 
mand at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  While 
en  roiitf  upon  the  ocean,  he  learned  of 
Lincoln's  assassination  at  Morehead  City, 
passing  boats  having  their  flags  at  half  mast. 
From  Raleigh  his  regiment  marched  through 
\'irginia  on  its  way  to  Washington,  and  our 
subject  had  a  glimpse  of  Libby  Prison,  and 
saw  many  of  the  battlefields  of  the  Eastern 
Army.  .\fter  the  Grand  Review,  in  which 
it  participated,  his  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Chicago  where  it  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice June  7,   1865. 

On  being  mustered  out,  Captain  Parke 
returned  home  and  resumed  his  trade  in 
De  Kalb,  and  later  in  partnership  with  a 
brother,  who  owned  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
acres,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
on  Section  33.  Afton  township,  nine  miles 
south  of  De  Kalb.  He  continued  at  his 
trade,  however,  until  about  1869,  when, 
with  liis  brother,  he  bought  another  farm 
in  Afton  township,  on  sections  i  and  12, 
and  in  connection  with  his  trade  followed 
farming  until  1870,  when  the  partnership 
with  his  brother  was  dissolved,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  possession   of  the  farm.      In  1871 


he  moved  to  the  farm  in  Afton  township, 
where  he  resided  until  February,  1873, 
when  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  at  that 
time  consisting  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  In  1884  he  built  a  residence  forty 
bj'  forty-four  feet,  and  twenty-six  feet  in 
height.  The  building  is  a  brick  with  fiard- 
wood  finish,  and  a  large  tank  in  the  garret 
supplied  water  for  the  entire  house.  On 
the  place  is  a  model  barn,  thirty-four  by 
one  hundred  and  two  feet.  Since  taking 
possession  of  the  farm.  Captain  Parke  has 
put  down  about  three  miles  of  tilings,  set 
out  orchard  trees  which  gives  the  place  a 
beautiful  appearance. 

Captain  Parke  was  married  September 
I,  1870,  to  Miss  Ruth  Hall,  who  was  born 
in  a  log  house  which  is  still  standing,  on  a 
farm  just  north  of  our  subject,  in  which  the 
county  court  was  once  held.  At  the  time 
it  was  built  it  w^as  the  largest  and  finest 
house  in  the  county.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Ephraim  Hall,  born  in  Wallingsford,  Con- 
necticut, March  ii,  1808,  an^l  who  came  to 
De  Kalb  county  in  the  fall  of  1836.  In  his 
native  state,  he  engaged  in  the  manuf;icture 
of  Britania  ware.  His  death  occurred  in 
De  Kalb  county,  within  one  week  of  the  age 
of  eighty- eight  years.  To  our  subject  and 
wife  seven  children  have  been  born,  six  of 
whom  are  yet  living.  Martha  W.  died  at 
an  earl}'  age.  Nelson  R.  is  proprietor  of  a 
feed  stable  in  Belvidere,  Illinois.  Henry 
H.  is  assistant  curator  of  the  Museum  at 
the  University  of  Michigan.  Ann  Arbor.  He 
attended  a  school  of  embriology,  at  Wood's 
Hall.  Massachusetts,  in  the  summer  of 
1898.  Mary  and  Mila  are  graduates  of  the 
Sycamore  High  School,  the  latter  being  a 
teacher  in  the  home  district.  Ruth  and 
Eleanor  G.  are  attending  the  high  school  in 
Sycamore. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAT.    RECORD. 


1 1 


In  politics  Captain  Parke  is  a  Democrat. 
Fraternally  he  was  formerly  a  Mason,  hold- 
ing membership  with  the  blue  lodge  and 
chapter.  I'^or  about  twenty  years  he  has 
served  as  a  school  director,  and  since  living 
in  his  present  district  has  been  clerk  of  the 
school  board.  He  is  one  of  the  best  farm- 
ers in  De  Kalb  county,  his  farm  showing 
evidence  of  thrift  at  every  hand. 


DK.  C.  SCHIYLEK,  dentist,  with  office 
i>n  the  corner  of  Third  and  Main 
streets.  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing dental  practitioners  of  the  county,  none 
sustaining  a  higher  reputation  for  skill  and 
reliability.  While  he  is  a  young  man  in 
years  and  practice,  he  is  in  the  front  of  his 
profession,  being  a  thoroughl\-  expert  den- 
tist, both  in  the  mechanical  and  surgical 
branches  of  the  art.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  and 
has  been  established  in  De  Kalb,  •Illinois, 
since  his  graduation  from  thnt  institution  in 
1891.  From  the  time  that  he  first  opened 
his  office  he  has  been  steadily  increasint;  his 
hold  on  popular  favor  and  patronage.  His 
rooms  are  neat,  well  appointed,  and  fiu- 
nished  with  approved  dental  appliances, 
enablins;  liiiii  to  do  work  in  the  very  best 
form  of  art.  .All  operations  comprehended 
in  modern  dentistry  are  performed  in  a 
superior  manner,  and  satisfaction  is  guar- 
anteed in  every  instance. 

Dr.  Schuyler  was  borninXunica,  Mich- 
itjan,  February  23,  186S,  and  is  the  son  of 
James  H.  and  Mary  iSixbury)  Schuyler, 
who  were  residents  of  Michigan  at  the  time 
of  the  Doctor's  birth.  There  his  mother's 
death  occurred,  but  the  father  subsequentlv 
removed  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  where  the 
Doctor  received  his  larlv  training  and  titted 


himself  for  college.  On  the  second  of  Sep- 
tember, 1896,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Harriet  D.  (ioodrich,  the  accom- 
plished daughter  of  Erastus  and  Phebe 
Goodrich.  She  is  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  in  1871,  and  came  with  her  parents  to 
DeKalb  county  in  1879.  Here  she  grew 
to  womaTihood.  and  received  her  educa- 
tion. 

James  H.  Schuyler,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Syca- 
more, Illin<Ms,  May  9,  1866,  with  .Miss  Mary 
E.  Six'oury,  and  tliey  shorth'  afterwards 
removed  to  Nunica,  Michigan,  where  two 
sons  were  born  to  them,  Colfax,  our  sub- 
ject, and  James  C.  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Schuy- 
ler was  born  at  Sycamore,  DeKalb  count}'. 
May  30,  1S38,  and  died  at  Nunica,  .Michi- 
gan, February  7,  1876.  .Mr.  Schuyler 
afterwards  married  a  second  wife,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son.  Joseph  Sixbur\\  the  father 
of  .Mrs.  Mary  E.  Schuyler,  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Sycamore,  locating  in  that  place 
in  1837.  He  was  one  of  the  men  who  as- 
sisted in  locating  the  county  seat  at  Syca- 
more. Both  he  and  his  wife  were  devoted 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  he  held  the  office  of  class  leader 
and  steward  for  several  years.  He  was  born 
m  .Amsterdam,  Montgomer\'  county,  New- 
York.  November  7,  [810,  and  died  at  Syca- 
more, December  28,  1879.  His  wife  was 
born  at  the  same  place,  March  2,  181  5,  and 
died  in  1880. 


HON.  WnJT.AM  M.  B^  F.KS,  one  of  the 
old  and  prominent  citizens  of  De  Kalb 
county,  now  residing  in  Sycamore,  dates  his 
residence  from  pioneer  times,  having  come 
to  the  county  in  1841,  in  company  with  his 
parents,    and    has  here    since   conlinn.  d    in 


I  u 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD 


reside.  He  was  born  in  Andes,  Delaware 
county,  New  York,  March  20,  1821,  and  is 
the  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Scott)  Byers, 
both  of  whom  were  native  of  Dumfriesshire, 
Scotland,  where  they  were  married  prior  to 
their  emigration  to  this  country.  In  his 
native  land,  James  Byers  was  a  herder,  an 
occupation  which  was  not  a  very  profitable 
one.  Learning  of  the  opportunities  afforded 
the  poor  man  in  the  United  States,  he 
determined  to  make  that  land  his  home. 
With  his  famil\,  in  i8i8,  he  set  sail  and  in 
due  time  landed  in  New  York,  from  which 
place  he  went  to  Delaware  county,  that 
state,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  the 
Hardenburg  patent,  on  which  he  resided  for 
twenty-three  \ears. 

The  great  west  was  now  being  opened 
up  for  settlement,  and  the  fame  of  the 
prairie  state  had  penetrated  the  old  state  of 
New  York,  so  he  determined  to  sell  out  and 
move  west,  where  the  opportunities  .were 
still  greater  for  advancement.  In  1841,  he 
sold  his  place  in  New  York,  and  came  direct 
to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  took  up  a 
claim  in  what  is  nc:)w  South  Grove  township, 
a  tract  of  land  which  he  afterwards  pur- 
chased when  it  came  into  market.  On  this 
tract  he  built  a  residence  and  commenced 
its  improvement,  and  there  he  continued  to 
reside  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
continued  to  give  personal  attention  to  the 
management  of  his  farm,  as  long  as  age  and 
health  would  permit,  when  he  sold,  but 
reserved  a  home  interest  during  his  life. 
He  died  December  10,   1S74. 

During  the  existence  of  that  party, 
James  Byers  was  an  old-line  Whig.  A  be- 
liever in  the  freedom  of  all  mankind,  he 
espoused  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  on  its  organization  and  continued  to 
act  with  that  party  until  the  end.      He  was 


a  leader  amorig  the  people,  and  held  various 
official  positions,  being  a  justice  of  the  peace 
for  many  years.  During  the  administration 
of  the  elder  Harrison  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  South  Grove,  being  the  sc  cond 
incumbent  of  the  office  at  that  place.  Phys- 
ically he  was  a  man  of  good  size,  strongly 
built  and  was  usually  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  best  of  health.  His  wife  died  in  1872. 
They  were  the  parents  of  si.\  children— 
|ohn;  William  .\1.,  our  subject;  Christine, 
who  married  John  Nichols:  James;  Asel  B.  ; 
and  Jane,  who  died  in  childhood.  Of  this 
number,  James  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  are  all  that  are  living. 

William  M.  Byers  was  reared  on  the 
farm  in  Delaware  county.  New  York,  where 
he  attentled  the  common  schools.  He  was 
not  yet  twenty-one  when  his  parents  came 
west.  W'hen  of  age  he  worked  with  his 
father  in  partnership,  until  he  was  twent}'- 
eight  years  old,  when  he  mo\  ed  to  the  farm, 
which  had  been  purchased  forhmi.  in  South 
Grove  township,  consisting  of  a  quarter- 
section  of  land.  At  first  he  engaged  in 
grain  farming,  and  later  went  into  stock  and 
general  farming.  Soon  after  locating  on  his 
original  farm,  he  purchased  forty  acres  of 
raw  prairie,  after  which  he  purchased  one 
hundred  acres  adjoining  his  old  farm.  Later 
he  added  another  hundred  acres  adjoining, 
and  then  purchased  a  quarter  section  in 
Malta  township,  which  he  fenced  and  culti- 
vated in  connection  with  his  other  purchases. 
Soon  after  he  purchased  the  first  quarter- 
section  of  land,  he  then  bought  eighty  acres. 
Later  he  bought  an  eighty  and  a  forty-acre 
tract,  that  squared  his  first  purchase.  His 
next  purchase  was  a  quarter  section  in  South 
Grove  town.'^hip,  which  he  cultivated,  after 
which  he  bought  the  old  homestead  of  three 
hundred   and   ninety-seven  acres.      He  then 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


I  I 


pvirchased  thirty-five  acres  of  timber  land 
adjoining  his  first  purchase.  He  now  owns 
upwards  ol  one  thousand  acres,  having  oc- 
casionall}'  sold  small  tracts  from  his  posses- 
sions. His  farms  are  now  worked  on  the 
shares.  When  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
farming  he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  hogs, 
cattle,  sheep  and  horses.  All  in  all,  the 
raising  of  hogs  was  the  most  profitable, 
though  during  the  war  sheep  paid  well. 

On  the  organization  of  the  township. 
Mr.  Byers  was  elected  trustee,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  some  years,  and  was  then 
elected  township  treasurer,  holding  that 
office  for  twenty-one  years.  For  some 
\ears  he  served  as  road  commissioner  and 
was  elected  and  served  several  terms  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  1852,  he  was 
elected  supervisor,  and  was  then  re-elected. 
After  a  lapse  of  a  few  years,  he  was  again 
elected  and  re-elected  three  times.  During 
the  last  three  years  of  his  term  of  service, 
he  was  chairman  of  the  board,  a  position 
he  filled  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  its  mem- 
bers and  the  public  generally. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Byers  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  from  De  Kalb  county,  and 
was  re-elected  in  187S,  serving  two 
terms.  While  a  member  he  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  miscellaneous  subjects, 
and  was  on  the  committee  of  education, 
highways  and  other  important  committees. 
He  was  an  active  member,  and  represented 
his  constituents  with  signal  ability. 

Mr.  Byers  was  united  in  marriage  at 
South  Grove,  January  10.  1833,  to  Miss 
Mary  Ann  Adee,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Jane  (Thompson)  Adee.  She  was  a  native 
of  Delaware  county.  New  York,  while  her 
father  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  and 
her  mother  of  Ireland.  By  this  union  were 
two    children.    John    T.  and   .Augustus,    the 


latter  d}  iiig  in  inlaiic).  John  married 
Elizabeth  Gibson,  and  they  have  six  chil- 
dren, three  boys  and  three  girls.  Arthur, 
Myrtie, Charles.  Mabel.  Margaret  and  James. 
They  reside  on  the  old  home  farm.  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Byers  died  November  \2.  1856.  For 
his  second  wife  Mr.  Byers  married,  Septem- 
ber I,  1859.  Miss  Jane  Adee,  a  sister  of  his 
first  wife.  They  have  had  three  children — 
Delia,  Anna  and  Jenny.  The  first  named 
died  in  1887.  Anna  married  Gilbert  H. 
Denton,  a  manufacturer  of  mining  machin- 
ery and  building  material,  and  they  now 
reside  in  Denver,  Colorado.  By  profession 
he  is  a  lawyer.  They  have  two  children. 
William  B.  and  Karen  Irene.  Jenny  is 
living  at  home. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Byers  moved  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Sjxamore,  where  he  purchased  an 
elegant  home  on  Somonauk  street,  where  he 
is  now  living  somewhat  retired  from  active 
life.  Since  coming  to  the  city,  and  during 
Mayor  Elwood's  term  of  office,  he  was  call- 
ed upon  and  served  as  alderman  two  terms. 
He  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the 
county,  his  farms  being  among  the  finest 
and  best,  and  no  man  in  it  is  held  in  higher 
esteem.  .A  strong  Republican,  his  influence 
in  the  party  has  ever  been  great,  and  he 
has  done  much  to  promote  its  interest. 
Religiously,  Mrs.  Byers  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  Sycamore.  For 
more  than  fifty  years  he  has  gone  in  and 
out  among  the  people  of  De  Kalb  county, 
and  it  can  be  safely  said  that  few  men  have 
done  more  to  advance  the  material  welfare 
of  the  county. 


ORLANDO    CARTER,     deceased,    was 
one  of   De    Kalb   county's  worthy  pio- 
neers.     He    w.is   born  111  Clienango  couniv. 


1  i6 


THE    BIOGKAl'lIKAL    Ki:(  OKI). 


New  "^oik,  January  -9,  1830,  and  was 
eleven  \ears  of  ajj;e  when  his  parents,  Jared 
and  Lydia  (Ames)  Carter,  renu)\ed  to  Ohio, 
where  they  continued  to  reside  two  years, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  made  another 
transfer  to  Iowa.  In  1.S4S  they  came  to 
Illinois  ;in<I  settled  in  He  Kaili  coimty, 
where  the  fatiier  became  e\lensi\el>'  enj^ai^ed 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died  in  July, 
1S55,  while  his  wife  survived  him  a  number 
of  \ears,  d\im;  in  November,  iSjj.  Their 
children  were  Eveline,  Orlando,  ("lark, 
I)a\id,   Lydia,    ]arid  and  Joseph. 

hrom  the  lime  Orlanilu  C  arter  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois, he  made  it  the  held  of  active  opera- 
tions uj)  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1S95.  He  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  beinj^;  Miss  ICIizabeth  Camp- 
bell, to  whom  he  was  wedded  July  4,  1852. 
She  was  a  nati\e  of  New  York,  and  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Sallie  Campliell, 
who  were  formerly  residents  of  Afton  town- 
ship, Ue  Kalb  county,  but  who  removed  in 
1879  to  Nebraska.  The  Campbells  came 
to  De  Kalb  count}'  about  the  same  time  the 
Carters  did.  Mrs.  Carter  died  .April  6,  1853, 
and  Mr.  Carter  was  again  married  in  De 
Kalb,  December  25.  1855,  to  Miss  Huldah 
White,  a  native  of  New  York,  born  Febru- 
arj'  5,  1836.  Her  parents  removed  from 
New  York  to  Kaneville,  Kane  county,  Illi- 
nois, about  1840.  In  1854  they  removed  to 
De  Kalb,  Illinois,  where  her  father  died  the 
following  year  of  smallpox.  His  wife  survived 
him  many  years,  dying  in  1 892.  Their  family 
consisted  of  six  children,  Mrs.  Carter  being 
the  only  member  of  the  family  remaining 
in  De  Kalb  county,  the  others  residing  in 
other  parts.  The  children  born  to  Orlando 
and  Elizabeth  Carter  were  William  O.,  born 
October    14,    1856;   Charles   D.,    November 


19,  1858;  Jesse  M.,  July  5,  iS()i;  Ernest, 
September  24,  1864;  Eva,  .March  12,  1868; 
Mabel,  October  23,  1871;  and  Cleo,  July 
13,  1870.  They  •ue  all  l:\ing  and  residing 
in  the  cit)-  nf  De  Kalb,  where  th(W  were 
born. 

.\h".  ("alter  led  a  lile  of  activity  ami  fru- 
gality, and  was  res[iecle<l  nin\  esteemed  by 
all  who  knew  liim.  lie  was  tuie  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  township,  owning  a  fine 
farm  ol  tluer  lunnlred  and  Iwcnlv  acres,  all 
under  excellent  improvement.  I^esides  this 
he  owned  valuable  property  in  the:  city  of 
De  Kalb,  where  he  resitled  for  several  years 
previous  to  his  death.  In  iSSi  la-  pur- 
chased a  livery  stable,  and  successfulh'  con- 
ducted the  business  up  to  the  time  (jf  his 
sickness,  which  resulted  in  Ins  death.  Po- 
litically he  cast  his  lot  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellow's, 
being  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  in  De 
Kalb.  His  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the 
beautiful  cemetery  of  De  Kalb. 


PELi:C.  S.  WINSLOW,  of  Hinckley, 
Illinois,  after  a  long  and  useful  life,  is 
now  living  retired.  His  residence  in  Illi- 
nois dates  from  1842,  when  he  located  in 
Kane  county.  He  is  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, born  in  the  town  of  Chalniont,  Frank- 
lin county,  .March  3,  1823,  and  is  the  son 
of  Dr.  George  Winslow,  who  was  born  in 
\'ermont  in  1783.  The  family  are  of  En- 
glish descent,  being  descended  from  one  of 
two  brothers  who  came  to  America  in  the 
Mayflower  and  originally  settled  in  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Dr  George  Winslow  grew  to  manhoud 
in  Vermont,  there  studied  medicine,  and 
later    moved     to    Colerain,    Massachusetts, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


It; 


where  he  hegan  to  practice  his  profession. 
He  was  married  three  times,  his  last  wife 
being  the  mother  of  our  subject.  Her  name 
was  Harriet  Severance,  and  she  was  a  na- 
tive of  Massachusetts.  The  Doctor  prac- 
ticed in  Massachusetts  for  some  years  and 
later  came  west,  locating  at  Big  Rock,  Kane 
count}'.  Illinois,  where  he  resumed  practice 
in  which  he  continued  some  years,  his  pro- 
fessional services  being  required  in  both 
Kane  and  De  Kaib  counties.  He  died  at 
Big  Rock  November  2,  184S,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him  for  some  years,  dying  in  De  Kalb 
county. 

Peelg  S.  ^^'i^s!ow  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  Massachusetts  where  he  received 
a  fair  education  in  the  common  school  and 
in  Chalmont  Seminary.  From  his  boyhood 
he  worked  on  a  farm  in  summers,  and  at- 
tended school  during  the  winter  months. 
He  remained  at  home  until  tie  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  came  west  to  Kane  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  with  Thomas  Judd,  who  located 
there  some  years  previous.  On  arriving  in 
Kane  county  he  went  to  work  for  Mr.  Judd 
at  Sugar  Grove.  On  coming  west,  there 
being  no  railroad  west  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich- 
igan, he  walked  across  that  state  to  St. 
Joseph  where  he  took  a  boat  across  the  lake 
to  Chicago,  walking  from  there  to  Sugar 
Grove.  After  working  for  Mr.  judd  during 
the  summer  of  his  arrival,  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  in  partnership  with  his  brother. 
Ebon  Winslow,  he  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  of  raw  land  on  credit,  on  the  west  line 
of  Kane  county.  The  following  year  he 
Lioke  and  fenced  forty  acres,  and  in  the 
second  year  put  in  a  crop.  After  building 
a  small  shanty,  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  he 
moved  in  and  there  lived  while  further  de- 
veloping the  place.  He  later  built  a  large, 
neat  anil  substantial  residence  with  good  barn 


and  other  outbuildings,  and  there  successful- 
ly engaged  in  farming  until  1874,  when  he 
came  to  Hinckle\-,  but  continued  to  give 
personal  attention  to  his  farm  (or  four 
years,  after  v\hich  he  rented  the  place.  He 
then  built  a  business  house  in  Hinckley  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  implement  business 
for  fourteen  years,  then  sold  out  and  has 
since  lived  retired. 

At  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
May  6,  1847,  Mr.  Winslow  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Alice  Randall,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  North  Ston- 
ington,  June  26,  182S,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jedediah  Randall,  who  located  in  Sugar 
Grove  township,  Kane  county,  in  1842. 
Previous  to  this,  however,  he  resided  (or  a 
time  in  New  York  state,  moving  from  there 
to  Kane  county,  Illinois.  By  this  union 
were  three  children,  the  first  bom  dying 
when  but  five  months  old.  Frank  L.,  the 
second  born,  is  well  educated,  a  telegraph 
operator,  who  served  also  as  agent  of  the 
Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  at  Hinckley  for 
twenty-two  years.  He  then  went  to  Men- 
dota,  and  for  three  years  was  in  the  freight 
departcnent  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad.  He  is  now  agent  at  Riv- 
erside, Illinois.  He  was  married  in  Aurora 
to  Ida  E.  Palmer,  and  they  had  one  son, 
Ralph  Palmer,  who  died  when  about  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  The  third  child  of  our 
subject  is  Belle,  who  remains  at  home  and 
is  housekeeper  for  her  father. 

Mr.  Winslow  has  been  a  Republican 
since  the  organization  of  the  party,  having 
voted  for  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856,  and 
for  every  presidential  nominee  of  that  party 
from  that  time  to  the  present.  He  never 
desired  nor  would  he  accept  office,  save 
that  of  school  director.  His  good  wife  died 
.\pril   V    iSyi.       l-"ur  manv  years  she  was   a 


1 8 


THK  ]ii(k;kaphical  ki:cord. 


member  u(  the  Baptist  church,  and  was  a 
firm  believer  in  the  Christian  religion,  en 
deavoring  to  walk  faithfully  in  the  steps  of 
her  Master.  Mr.  W'inslow  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church,  and  has  for 
years  taken  a  somewhat  active  part.  For 
fifty-si.\  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Illi- 
nois, ni.d  is  therefore  classed  among  the 
early  settlers,  one  who  has  lived  to  see  the 
many  wonderful  changes  that  have  so  rap- 
idly followed  each  other  in  the  last  half 
century.  His  life  has  been  an  e.xemplary 
one,  and  all  who  know  him  have  for  him 
the  utmost  respect. 


H.-\K\  K\  .\  JONES  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  Ue  Kalb  coun- 
ty bar  for  over  a  generation.  He  was  born 
on  the  banks  of  the  historical  Burnett 
Creek,  that  winds  its  way  through  the  old 
Tippecanoe  battle  ground,  not  many  miles 
from  I.afayette.  Indiana,  October  17.  1837. 
His  paternal  ancestors  came  from  Cardigan- 
shire, South  Wales,  and  settled  on  the 
Delaware  Welsh  tract,  in  1710.  where  yet 
stands  the  old  Welsh  tract  Baptist  church, 
with  British  bullets  imbedded  in  its  walls, 
and  where  five  of  Mr.  Jones'  ancestors 
preached  the  gospel  in  the  da\s  before  the 
Revolution. 

David  Jones,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  near  Richmond,  X'irginia,  Febru- 
ary 18.  1798.  and  went  with  his  parents  to 
Monongahela  county,  \irginia.  now  West 
Virginia,  when  he  was  three  years  old.  M 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  a  pioneer  of  Clark 
county.  Ohio,  and  in  early  manhood  moved 
tu  Indiana,  where  he  died  November  11. 
1849.  He  married  Mary  Owens,  daughter 
•  <{    \<:i    and    Di-borHh     McMimiii     Owens. 


Southern  yuakcrs,  whose  ancestors  were  of 
Savannah,  Georgia.  Jonathan  Owens,  the 
father  of  Asa,  had  his  right  hand  cut  off  by 
the  British  during  the  Revolution,  because 
he  would  not  fight,  being  a  Quaker. 

Daniel  Jones,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  near  Wilmington,  Dela- 
ware, April  10,  1754.  He  died  in  Clark 
county,  Ohio,  May  12.  1832.  He  was  a 
pioneer  in  West  N'irginia.  but  lived  three 
years  in  Greene  county,  Pennsylvania,  then 
settled  in  Clark  county,  Ohio.  Rev.  David 
Jones  —chaplain  of  • '  Mad  Anthony  "  Wayne 
and  of  General  tiates'  regiments— was  a 
cousin  of  Daniel  |ones.  He  was  the  grand- 
father of  Horatio  Gates  Jones,  the  historian 
of  Philadelphia.  1  Sec  Appleton's  Biograph- 
ical Dictionary,  i  His  father,  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  was  James  Jones, 
a  native  of  Wales,  born  in  1707,  and  who 
on  coming  to  this  country,  located  in  New 
Castle  countw  Delaware,  where  his  death 
occurred  May  26,  1786  He  was  a  Baptist 
clertryman.  and  was  a  surgeon  in  the  .Ameri- 
can army,  under  General  Gates.  He  mar- 
ried Susanna  Williams  of  the  Welsh  tract. 
New  Castle  county.  Delaware.  His  father 
Rev.  David  Jones,  who  was  a  great-great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Forrest  ap  Llanwenog,  Cardiganshire, 
Wales,  in  1668.  and  came  to  America  in 
1 7 10.  settling  in  New  Ca.stle  count)'.  Dela- 
ware, where  he  died  August  20.  1748.  He 
was  a  Calvinist  Methoflist  clergyman,  ami 
married  Esther  Morgan,  daughter  of  Morgan 
ap  Rhydrith,  a  chieftain  in  Cardiganshire, 
under  Cromwell.  .Asa  Owen's  people  were 
from  Wales,  and  as  already  stated  were 
Quakers  in  religious  belief.  The  ancestors 
cif  Deborah  McMunii  were  also  Quakers,  and 
came  from  the  north  of  Ireland.  They 
(Mine  to  the    I'liited    .States    and    locatfil    in 


HARVEY  A.  JONES. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLIWOfS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECCKL\ 


Georgia,  with  the  Oglethorpe  settlers.  Both 
families  were  early  settlers  in  Clark  county, 
Ohio,  locating  near  Dayton,  in  1812.  where 
the  parents  of  our  subject  were  married. 
During  their  early  married  life,  they  emi- 
grated to  Tippecanoe  county.  Indiana.  Of 
their  children.  Amanda  married  Benjamin 
Morehouse,  and  is  now  deceased.  fohn  M. 
C.  was  among  the  early  seekers  for  gold  in 
California,  where  he  settled  and  later  be- 
came sheriff  of  Siskiyou  countw  He  died 
in  1882.  Abel  went  to  Oregon.  James  O. 
was  graduated  at  the  law  department  of  the 
Universit)'  of  Michigan,  but  later  became  a 
farmer  in  Indiana.  Deborah,  who  married 
Owen  Hill,  is  deceased.  Lewis  is  a  farmer 
in  Missouri.  Levi  M.  was  a  real  estate 
agent  at  Fort  Wayne.  Indiana.  He  is  now 
deceased.  Harvey  A.,  our  subject,  was 
next  in  order  of  birth.  David  C.  was  a 
graduate  of  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  figured  quite  promi- 
nently in  politics  in  Tippecanoe,  but  is  now 
deceased.  Asa.  ¥..  was  a  physician  and  re- 
sided on  the  old  homestead  at  Grand 
Prairie.  Indiana,  until  his  death. 

The  early  years  of  Harvey  A.  Jones  were 
spent  at  home,  like  most  farmer  boys.  Until 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  then 
became  a  student  in  the  Wabash  Indiana 
College,  of  Crawfordsville.  Indiana,  finish- 
ing his  literary  course,  however,  at  Lom- 
bard University,  Galesburg.  After  leaving 
college  in  1861,  he  went  to  Missouri,  where 
he  engaged  in  teaching.  After  a  few  months 
spent  in  that  profession,  on  account  of  the 
Civil  war,  he  was  compelled  to  change  his 
plans.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he  became  a 
student  in  the  law  office  ol  Hon.  A.  M.  Har- 
rmgton.  of  Geneva.  Kane  county.  He  read 
law  there  until    1863.*  when   ho  cntcr<»d   the 


University  of  Michigan,  and  was   graduated 
from  the  law  department  in    1865. 

After  leaving  the  university.  Mr.  [uiies 
settled  in  Sycamore.  Illinois,  to  commence 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  formed 
a  partnership  with  Daniel  B.  James,  later 
county  judge,  which  partnership  terminated 
in  1869.  His  next  law  partner  was  Charles 
A.  Bishop,  now  judge  of  the  sixteenth  judi- 
cial circuit,  who  became  associated  with 
him  in  1880,  and  who  had  been  a  student 
in  his  office.  This  partnership  continued 
until  1887,  when  it  was  dissolved.  They 
made  a  strong  law  firm,  and  there  were  few 
cases  of  importance  in  De  Kalb  county  in 
which  they  were  not  on  one  side  or  the 
other.  Later  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
C.  D.  Rogers,  which  still  continues. 

Mr.  Jones  practices  in  both  state  and 
federal  courts,  and  during  his  long  legal 
career  has  been  associated  with  some  of  the 
most  important  litigations  before  the  courts 
of  this  circuit.  Among  the  noted  cases  in 
which  he  has  been  associated  as  counsel  are 
Pritchard  vs.  Walker,  in  which  he  was 
counsel  for  the  plaintiff;  Walker  vs.  Pritch- 
ard, when  he  was  counsel  for  the  defendant; 
Jones  vs.  Lloyd,  when  he  was  counsel  for 
plaintiff;  Pooler  vs.  Christinan,  when  he 
was  counsel  for  the  plaintiff;  Barroz>.-s  vs. 
City  of  Sycamore.  This  last  was  a  damage 
suit  brought  by  the  plaintiff  against  the  city 
for  the  erection  of  a  standpipe.  This  case 
was  prosecuted  by  Mr.  Jones,  assisted  by 
his  partner.  All  of  these  cases  mentioned 
were  noted  ones,  and  attracted  wide  atten- 
tion by  their  importance,  and  the  legal 
ability  with  which  they  were  conducted  on 
both  sides,  and  on  account  of  the  nice  legal 
points  involved.  In  the  case  of  Halle  vs. 
Ball — in  which  Mr:  Jones  took  the  position 
that  a  married  woman  liacl   thi'   right  to  sue 


122 


TH1-:    HIOC.KArillCAL    RECORD. 


in  her  own  name.  Ihi.s  was  the  hrst  case 
of  the  kind  to  be  broMfjht  in  Illinois,  the 
legal  luliiif;  havinf^  heretofore  been  con- 
trary to  his  position.  There  has  since  been 
a  law  placed  on  the  statute  books  perniit- 
tiii",'  a  Woman  to  bring  action  in  her  own 
name. 

Mr.  Jones  is  careful  and  methodical  in 
the  preparation  of  causes,  and  when  he 
goes  to  trial  either  as  a  prosecutor  or  a  de- 
fender, the  client  will  not  suffer  the  want 
for  a  vigorous,  able  and  skillful  handling  of 
his  cauje.  Before  a  jury  he  is  strong  and 
convincing,  always  presenting  the  points  in 
his  case  in  a  clear,  logical  and  convincing 
manner.  He  is  a  good  advocate  and  good 
pleader,  strong  in  his  own  case,  and  a  for- 
midable opponent. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Ordtr,  and  has  attained  the  Knight  Tem- 
plar degree.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Knights  of  the  (jlobe.  Politically  he  has 
been  a  consistent  Republican,  and  has  given 
as  much  time  to  the  advocacy  of  its  prin- 
ciples as  his  arduous  professional  duties 
would  allow.  In  1888,  he  was  presidential 
elector  for  the  filth  Illinois  district.  He 
has  always  been  an  ardent  temperance  man, 
and  with  \oice  and  pen  has  labored  for  the 
cause,  believing  however  that  its  interests 
could  the  better  be  served  through  the  Re- 
publican party. 

Neither  in  his  reading  or  his  studies  has 
Mr.  Jones  confined  himself  to  the  law.  His 
mind  has  taken  a  wide  range  in  other  fields 
of  thought  and  literature,  keeping  himself 
well  posted  in  the  topics  that  interest  the 
people  in  the  closing  days  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  did  not  leave  off  study  when 
he  left  the  college  hall,  but  his  books  have 
still    been    his   companions,  often    to   shak^ 


off  the  dust  of  courts  and  law  books,  to  re- 
fresh and  soothe  the  spirit  for  a  night's  re- 
pose. 

During  his  long  resicence  in  Sycamore, 
his  life  both  private  and  public  has  been 
such  as  to  win  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
all.  In  seeking  recreation  and  relief  from 
professional  labors,  he  has  been  greatly 
blessed  in  the  companionship  of  an  edu- 
cated and  intellectual  wife,  who  can  find 
time  from  domestic  duties  to  keep  up  her 
literary  studies  and  reading. 

Mrs.  Jones,  //cV  Sarah  Dudley  Perkins, 
has  seven  printed  genealogies  of  Puritan 
families,  five  of  them  historical,  who  num- 
ber her  among  their  descendants.  She  is 
in  the  eighth  generation  in  direct  descent 
from  Governor  Thomas  Dudley,  the  second 
colonial  governor,  through  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Dudley,  of  the  first  settlement  of  E.xeter, 
New  Hampshire,  whose  first  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  Governor  Winthrop.  Thomas 
Dudley  was  the  governor  whose  signature 
is  affi.Ned  to  the  charter  of  Harvard  College, 
and  for  whom  the  ofifice  of  major-general 
was  created,  he  being  the  first  to  ever  bear 
the  title.  Her  paternal  ancestor.  Quarter- 
master John  Perkins,  so  called  because  he 
was  sent  across  the  ocean  for  supplies  for 
the  Puritans,  was  one  of  three  brothers 
who  came  in  the  ship  Lyon,  1628,  with 
Roger  Williams  and  the  ancestor  of  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson  for  passengers.  She  is 
collaterally  related  (descended  from  the 
same  Puritan  ancestor)  to  Major-General 
Artemus  Ward  (who  was  the  temporary 
commander-in-chief  before  Washington)  and 
with  Major-General  Dearborn  and  Lorenzo 
Dow,  the  eccentric  preacher.  Xone  of 
Mrs.  Jones'  ancestors  came  later  than  1680, 
with  the  e.xception  of  Darby  Kelley,  who 
came   o\er  in    1710.      .The  late   General  B. 


I 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


13^ 


F.  Kelley.  of  West  \'irginia,  who  raised  the 
first  negro  regiment  south  of  Mason  and 
Dixon's  hne,  was  also  a  descendant  of 
Darby  Kelle\\ 

Sarah  Dudley  Perkins  was  born  October 
14,  1S38,  at  St.  Charles,  then  known  as 
Charleston.  Kane  county.  Illinois.  Her 
father,  Otho  Williams  Perkins,  came  from 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  to  Kane  county,  in 
June,  1834.  where  his  only  brother,  Eph- 
riam,  had  already  settled.  They  were  born 
in  Hebron.  Grafton  county.  New  Hamp- 
shire. Otho  was  two  years  the  elder  and 
was  born  June  16,  1806.  Mrs.  Jones  was 
the  eldest  of  three  children,  her  two  broth- 
ers dying  before  she  was  eighteen.  The 
youngest,  Otho  W.,  Jr.,  died  .April  15,  1855, 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  Jonathan  Dud- 
ley, the  other  brother.  July  8,  1S56.  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years. 

Otho  W.  Perkins  was  married  to  Nancy 
Kelley  at  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  January  6, 
1 838,  at  the  home  of  his  cousin  and  Miss 
Kelley's  brother-in-law,  the  husband  of  her 
youngest  sister,  Sarah  Dudley  Kelly.  Mr. 
N.  H.  Dearborn  was  the  pioneer  justice  of 
the  peace  in  St.  Charles.  Sarah  Dudley 
Kelley;  Dearborn  was  born  at  New  Hamp- 
ton. New  Hampshire,  and  died  at  St. 
Charles,  Illinois,  October  12.  1838.  The 
following  poem  written  by  Mrs.  Jones,  in 
October,  1886,  was  dedicated  to  her  mem- 
ory; 


Oh!  sky  and  meadow,  wood  and  glen. 

Oh!  murmuring  river,  fair  as  when 

1  saw  thee  first  in  childhood's  years, 

To-day,  the  pictured  scene  appears. 

Tranced  by  its  glow,  I  watch  the  sky, 

(As  on  the  hillside  turf  I  lie.i 

.And  question  what  beyond — if  true 

That  thuu  sweet  .-Vunl,  thy  namesake  kncv% : 

White  thy  green  grave,  beside  me  spread. 

Was  my  earliest  lesion  of  the  dead. 


And  one  and  lifty  years  have  sped 

Since  thuu  wert  numbered  with  the  dead: 

But  two  bleak  days  shadowed  thy  tomb. 

Ere  ope'd  nty  eyes  on  a  world  of  gloom; 

Sad  tears  of  vain  regret  must  fall 

I'pon  my  cradle,  as  a  pall. 

For  wintry  blast's  untimely  sway. 

October's  glory  swept  away: 

Mocking  the  firomise  the  land  had  held. 

Of  fruitage  fair,  and  garnered  field. 

Anil  scarce  ten  years  have  passed  away. 

Smce  1  wandered  where  thy  girlhootl  lay; 

Where  stem  New  England's  hills  arise. 

Whose  white  peaks  pierce  New  Hampshire  skies: 

And  there  1  found  thy  memory  green. 

Kept  two  score  years,  what  thou  hadst  been. 

And  gray  haired  men,  they  spoke  of  thee, 

-As  the  fairest  flower  of  their  memory, 

Transplanted  to  the  western  wild. 

By  untimely  frosts  and  death  despoiled. 

Otho  W.  Perkins  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
Universalists  of  the  west,  and  one  of  the 
thirteen  who  founded  and  built  the  first 
Universalist  church  west  of  the  Great  Lakes, 
at  St.  Charles,  three  years  before  even  a 
Universalist  society  had  been  organized  in 
Chicago.  He  also  contributed  liberally 
toward  purchasing  the  printing  press  and 
establishmg  the  tirst  Universalist  denomi- 
national paper  in  Chicago,  "The  Better 
Covenant",  the  predecessor  of  the  present 
"Universalist",  the  Rev.  William  Rounse- 
ville,  pastor  from  St.  Charles,  going  to 
Chicago  to  be  editor  of  the  paper. 

The  father  of  Otho  W.  Perkins,  born  in 
Ipssvich,  Mass.,  was  a  descendant  of  "(Quar- 
termaster "  John  Perkins,  who  came  from 
Gloucestershire,  England,  with  his  father's 
family,  to  Salem,  thence  to  Ipswich,  in  the 
ship  L)on,  in  1628.  The  wife  of  Jacob 
Perkins,  the  maternal  grandmother  of  O. 
W.  Perkins,  was  Hannah  Andrews,  a 
descendant  of  Captain  John  Andrews  (^some- 
times spelled  Andrus),  who  came  to  Ipswich 
in  1630.      Captain  John  Andrews  was  also 


124 


THi:    BIOGRAPHICAL    RICCORD 


the  ancestor  of  John  A.  Andrews,  the  war 
governor  of  Massachnsetts  during  the  Civil 
war. 

Ihe  mother  of  Otho  \\  Perkins  was 
Thir/a  Dearhorn.  who  died  when  her  son 
was  bill  five  years  old.  Slie  was  a  descend- 
ant of  Godfrey  Dearborn  of  the  first  settle- 
ment of  Kxeter,  New  Hampshire,  then  part 
of  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  v\  ho  came 
from  Devonshire.  England,  in  i62<S.  He 
was  also  the  American  ancestor  of  Major- 
General  Henry  Dearborn,  the  commander- 
in-chief  in  the  war  of  i8i2,  and  the  one  for 
whom  Fort  Dearborn  was  nainetl.  The 
mother  of  Thir/.a  Dearborn,  the  maternal 
grandmother  of  Otho  W.  Perkins,  was  Abi- 
gail Ward,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Ward,  who  was  the  first  Congregational 
clergyman  m  Plymouth,  New  Hampshire. 
The  youngest  sister  of  Thirza  Dearborn, 
Eliza  (Dearborn)  Scott,  is  yet  living  in 
Exeter.  New  Hampshire,  and  on  her  eighty- 
sixth  birthday  the  Boston  newspapers 
chronicled  the  fact  that  she  was  the  oldest 
living  widow  of  a  Methodist  clergyman  in 
New  England.  She  is  a  widow  and  was  the 
second  wife  of  the  Rev.  Orange  Scott,  who 
separated  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  on  the  slavery  question,  and  founded 
the  Wesleyan  organization.  (See  Apple- 
ton's  Biogiaphical  Dictionary,  for  Orange 
Scott.)  Abigail  W'ard  was  a  descendant  of 
William  Ward,  of  Sudbury,  who  was  also 
the  ancestor  of  Artemus  Ward,  who  was  the 
provisional  Major- General  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, before  W'ashington. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Jones.  Nancy  Kelly, 
was  born  in  New  Hampton,  Belknap  (then 
Stafford)  county.  New  Hampsh  re,  July  30, 
1807.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Dudley  and 
Ruth  (Dow)  Kelly.  Her  education  was 
obtained  in  the  New  Hampton  Female  Sem- 


inary, once  the  leading  preparatory  for  col- 
lege in  New  England.  Her  father,  who 
was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  school  for 
many  vears.  was  a  finished  scholar  and  for 
many  years  was  a  teaclier.  He  was  born  in 
Exeter,  the  suburb  of  Brentwood,  in  1761. 
He  enlisted  at  the  age  of  sixteen  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary army.  His  father  was  Darby 
Kelly,  son  of  Daniel,  who  was  born  in 
Waterford,  Ireland,  in  1700,  and  who  at 
the  age  of  ten  years  ran  away  to  sea  as  a 
cabin  boy,  on  a  ship  of  which  his  cousin 
was  captain,  coming  to  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire.  When  he  refused  to  recross 
the  ocean,  he  was  left  by  his  kinstnan,  and 
never  saw  or  heard  of  any  of  his  people 
afterward.  He  was  adopted  into  the  family 
of  Phillip  Huntoon,  of  Exeter,  whose 
daughter  Sarah  he  married,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-eight.  (See  Huntotjn  Genealogy.) 
His  second  wife  was  Sarah  Dudley  (1760), 
who  was  a  granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Dudley,  of  the  first  Exeter  settlement. 
He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Governor  Thomas 
Dudley,  the  second  colonial  governor. 
Rev.  Samuel  Dudley's  first  wife,  was  a 
daughter  of  Governor  Winthrop.  (See 
Dudley  Genealogy.) 

The  ancestor  of  Governor  Thomas  Dud- 
ley was  Edmund  de  Sutton,  who  was  one  of 
the  knights  who  came  over  with  W^illiam 
the  Norman.  Edmund  de  Sutton  was  the 
first  baron  of  Dudley.  He  married  the  Sax- 
on heiress  of  Dudley  castle,  which  was 
then  five  hundred  years  old.  The  numer- 
ous descendants  of  Governor  Thomas  Dud- 
ley include  some  of  the  most  illustrious 
names  in  our  country,  among  them  the 
Channings,  the  Danas,  the  f.imous  Field 
family,  of  whom  Cyrus  W.,  David  Dudley 
and  Chief  Justice  Field  are  members,  Wen- 
dall  Phillips.  Oliver   Wendall    Holmes,    and 


TH1-;    BIOr.KAPHKAL    Ki:rORl). 


1^; 


a  score  of  others  almost  as  well  known  to 
fame.  Thomas  Dudle\-  was  the  governor 
who  signed  the  charter  of  Harvard  College, 
and  almost  always  since  some  descendant 
has  been  a  member  of  the  faculty.  Charles 
Eliot  Norton,  at  the  present  tiine,  is  one  of 
Governor  Dudley's  descendants.  Both  of 
the  wives  (cousins  Dana  and  Channing)  of 
Washington  .\lston,  the  painter,  also  the 
second  wife  of  Sir  Ed  vin  Arnold,  an  Ameri- 
can lady  who  was  a  Channing,  and  the  wife 
of  Edward  Everett  Hale  who  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Re\ .  I.yman  Beecher),  is  a 
descendant  both  of  Governor  Dudley  and 
John  Perkins.  See  Dudley  Genealogy.  > 
Ann  Dudley  Bradstreet  was  a  daughter  of 
Governor  Thomas  Dudley  and  the  sister  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Dudley  and  Governor  Joseph 
Dudley.  She  married  Simon  Bradstreet 
and  published  the  first  book  of  poems  in 
America.  The  following  sonnet  acrosticx 
on  the  three  Dudleys  was  written  by  Mrs. 
[ones  in  1S84  and  published  in  the  Inter- 
Ocean: 

I. 
(.Ann  Dudley  Bradstreet.) 
.\down  two  centuries  and  a  half  thy  fame 
\ow  wakes  faint  echo  as  we  speak  thy  name. 
Nor  holds  on  modern  thought  but  feeble  claim. 
But  thou,  the  first  verse-writer  of  our  land, 
Reign'st  as  the  first  and  hold'st  that  place  the  same 
.\s  thou  wert  laureate  of  that  Pilgrim  band, 
Down  to  our  time  thy  chait  of  rank  will  .stand. 
Sober  and  .serious,  earnest — never  vain — 
The  Puritans  held  their  life  and  speech  and  deed. 
Robbed  of  all  flowers,  they  sought  but  ripened  seeil. 
Earth-life  they  shaped  to  fit  their  somber  creed; 
Each  act  in  view  of  their  immortal  gain, 
rhou  only  sang'st  with  repressed  and  formal  strain. 
H. 
(Sir  Philip  Sidney. 1 
The  brightest  star  that,  undinimed  by  mist  or  cloud. 
Out  of  the  darkness  shines  of  that  dark  age. 
Pouring  a  luster  o'er  the  tarnished  page - 
History  unrolls  of  the  cruel  base  and  proud 
In  every  grace  of  manly  chivalrv. 
Living  the  truest,  highest,  noblest,  best: 


In  courage,  art,  thy  life  pales  all  the  rest. 
Pales  as  the  rushlight  in  the  light  of  day. 
So  to  the  end,  on  Zutphen"s  field  of  bUxKl. 
In  glory's  panoply  thy  life  went  down; 
Death  found  thee  but  to  give  a  shining  crown 
Never  to  fade,  her  model  of  every  good 
England  still  holds  thee,  still  thy  fame  has  stood 
Vet  deemed  her  flower  of  chivalry  and  manhood. 

Ul. 
(Sir  Robert  Dudley.* 

So  ever,  if  above  the  rabble  raised. 
In  fortune's  favor  or  a  [irince's  smile. 
Roused  in  all  haired,  malice,  envv's  guile. 
Revenge  with  it's  sharp  spite  their  names  assail. 
On  you  it  fell  not,  Leicester,  the  while  — 
Beyond  their  feeble  shafts,  while  they  dispraised. 
Even  though  ambition,  the  evil  of  thy  dav. 
Ruled  in  thy  heart  and  life,  still  were  you  strong 
To  hew  thy  path  regardless  of  the  throng. 
Darker  the  fate  that  swept  thy  sire  away; 
Lnder  its  ban  his  sire,  too,  met  his  fate- 
Doomed    by    that   innate   power   that    marked  them 

great — 
Lies,  slanders,  vile  surmise,  of  all  the  prey 
Envy,  that  could  not  reach  their  high  estate, 
Velped  at  their  heels  to  their  last  fated  da\. 

The  mother  of  Nancy  Kelly  Perkins  (Mrs. 
Jones'  maternal  grandmother^  was  Ruth 
Dow,  born  in  Old  Hampton,  New  Hamp- 
shire. Her  father,  Jonathan  Dow.  was  the 
first  cousin  of  Lorenzo  Dow,  the  eccentric 
preacher,  who  visited  at  the  home  of  Dud- 
ley Kelly  in  iSio,  when  Nancy  Kelly  was 
three  years  old.  This  was  during  Lorenzo 
Dow's  last  tour  through  the  New  England 
states.  Their  American  Dow  ancestor  was 
also  the  ancestor  of  General  Neal  Dow.  the 
famous  Maine  Law  champion. 

Mrs.  Jones  was  educated  in  a  select 
school  at  St.  Charles,  with  one  year  at  St. 
.Agatha's  Academy,  Sisters  of  Mercy,  Ctii- 
cago,  where  she  was  awardedthe  gold  medal 
for  composition  in  1855.  The  old  academy 
building  before  the  Chicago  lire  was  where 
.Mercy  Hospital  now  stands.  In  .August, 
1857,  she  entered  Lombard  I'niversity, 
Gaksburg,  Illinois,  f(  r   the   four  years  clas- 


126 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


sical  course.  She  was  a  fellow  student  for 
th(>  tV)ur  \  lars  with  Harv(!\- A.  |ones.  They 
were  married  at  Cialeshurfj,  at  the  home  of 
Rev.  ].!'.  {'"uller,  Eebruary  22,  1861.  Rev. 
Euller  was  the  first  Universalist  preacher  in 
the  state  of  Missouri,  and  the  second  in  Illi- 
nois. Eor  (jne  year  succeedinfj  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  [ones  taught  school  in  Callaway 
county,  Missouri,  and  studied  law  at  the 
same  time.  On  account  oi  the  increasing.; 
danger  to  Northern  residents,  they  left  the 
state  the  second  year  of  the  war,  and  on  ac- 
count 111  the  serious  illness  of  Mrs.  Junes' 
mother,  they  wenr  to  St.  Charles,  Illinois, 
where  after  a  lingering  illness  the  mother 
died  June  2S,    1.S63. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  the  parents  ol 
seven  children  as  follows:  (  ij  Dudley  Kelly, 
born  and  died  May  5,  1S62,  at  St.  Charles, 
Illinois.  (2)  Mary  Fuller,  born  at  St.  Charles, 
May  10,  1863.  She  was  married  at  Syca- 
more, Illinois,  No\ember  27,  1884,  to  Elmer 
Jerome  Haker.  the  publisher  and  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  Chicago  Farm  Implement 
News.  They  were  married  by  the  Rev.  D. 
P.  Baker,  the  father  of  the  groom.  Mr. 
Baker  was  educated  at  the  High  School  in 
Sycamore,  supplemented  by  an  attendance 
of  one  year  at  Wheaton  College,  and  at  the 
State  University.  Champaign,  Illinois.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Baker  have  two  children,  Kuth 
Mary,  born  September  29.  t885,  and  Elmer 
Jerome,  jr..  born  in  Chicago,  January  3, 
I  88g.  At  the  present  time.  Miss  Ruth  Mary, 
accompanied  bv  her  miither,  who  is  super- 
intending her  studies,  is  now  traveling  and 
attending  school  abroad.  During  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1897  she  was  at  school  at 
Nice,  Italy,  and  at  present  is  in  I'iome,  Italy. 
Mrs.  Baker  was  educated  at  the  Sycamore 
High  School,  from  which  she  graduated. 
She    attended  the   Musical   Conservatory  at 


Fort  Waj'ne,  Indunia,  and  at  X'assai-,  Pough- 
keepsie.  New  ^drk.  (3)  Owen  Dudley  was 
born  at  S)camore,  November  21,  1865,  and 
died  January  21,  1867.  (4)  Anna  Kelly, 
born  at  Sycainore,  February  10,  1869,  was 
married  |uly  10,  1889,  at  Sycamore,  to 
Cieorge  Manford  Clayberg,  principal  of  the 
Chicago  West  Division  High  School.  They 
were  married  by  the  Rev.  J.  E.  June,  pas- 
tor of  the  Universalist  church  at  Sycamore. 
Mr.  Clayberg  was  educated  at  Michigan 
Universitw  where  he  took  the  mathematical 
prize  and  won  the  Houghton  Scholarship 
in  i8''i5.  He  also  attended  a  course  of  lect- 
ures at  the  German  universities.  Mrs. 
Clayberg  received  her  primary  education  in 
the  Sycamore  schools,  and  took  the  four- 
vears  course  and  grailuated  from  the  Chi- 
cago \\'est  Division  High  School  in  the  class 
of  1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clayberg  have  had 
three  children — Harold  Dudley  and  Harvey 
Alston  (twins),  born  January  24,  1892,  iu 
Chicago,  and  Dorothea  Marion,  born  at  Oak 
Park,  July  27,  1893.  Harvey  Alston  died  at 
Oak  Park,  July  3,  1892.(5)  Harvey  Alston, 
Jr.,  was  born  at  Sycamore,  October  28, 
1871,  and  died  April  12,  1880.  (6)  Sarah 
Dudley,  born  at  Sycamore,  June  24,  1873, 
died  July  15,  1873.  (7)  David  Ducley,  born 
July  21,  1874,  at  Sycamore,  died  A[)ril  5, 
18S0. 

On  the  first  birthday  of  her  second  child, 
Mary  h'uller,  Mrs.  Jones  penned  the  follow- 
ing poem,  which  was  printed  in  the  Chicago 
Journal: 

One  year  old  to-iiay! 

Our  little  baby  i;irl. 
I'he  cloud-fleckefl  skies,  witli  clearest  ray 

Hlend  azure  tint  with  pearl, 
.\nd  all  around  the  glorious  .May 

Its  banners  gay  unfurl  — 
just  as  It  welcomed  you.  our  pet — 
To  life  and  love  th.it  guards  you  yet. 


THl-:    BIOr.R APinCAL    RECORD. 


i:;; 


Wnif  foolsttfps  laltcr  mm 

I'pon  n  threshold  n<;H  , 
While  on  your  pure  young  baby-lirow 

Missteps  have  left  no  rue: 
Thus  may  your  future  footsteps  go   ' 

In  pathways  straight  and  true: 
No  bitterness  of  sin  and  tears 
To  blight  the  joy  of  coming  years. 

Within  your  eyes  I  look, 
Sweet  babe,  so  dark  and  deep, 

And  your  broad,  fair  brow  is  a  sealed  book 
Of  latent  powers  that  sleeji: 

Lithe,  restless  limbs  that  will  not  brook 
.-\  long  restraint  to  keep. 

While  in  your  pouting  lips  we  know, 

Are  affection's  power  and  fervent  glow. 

Within  your  tiny  veins 

The  life-blood  mingling  flows, 
From  Ge<irgia's  bright  Savannah  plains. 

And  bleak  New  England's  snows; 
If  beauty's  spell  around  thee  reigns. 

May  life  high  aims  disclose, 
And  the  wild  South-tire,  may  its  glow- 
Be  pure  and  clear  as  New  England's  snow. 

Sweet  birdlmg  of  the  May, 

That  fills  our  own  home-nest 
With  music,  gladsome  as  the  lay 

I'hat  thrills  the  wood-bird's  breast, 
.May  ever  flowers  spring  round  thy  way. 

No  thorns  bring  thee  unrest, 
Till  the  flowers  immortal  bloom  for  thee, 
.Still  faither  on  o'er  death's  dark  sea. 


THEODORE  O.  BERG  resides  on  sec- 
tion ig,  Milan  township,  where  he  owns 
a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
which  he  keeps  under  the  highest  stale  of 
cultivation.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  near  Christina.  November  23.  1833, 
and  in  his  native  coimtry  f^rew  to  manhood 
and  received  a  limited  education.  In  1853, 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  taking  ship 
at  Christina,  for  Quebec,  from  which  place 
he  came  directly  west  to  Chicago,  arriving 
in  that  city.  He  made  the  trip  with  his 
brother  Ole  Berg,  and  they  went  direct  to 
I. a    Salle   county,  whiTc   oiu     subject  com- 


menced work  on  a  fnrui  by  the  month,  and 
Continued  to  be  thus  employed  for  one  year, 
when  he  was  taken  sick.  an<1  remained  in  ill 
health  for  two  years.  He  then  resumed 
work  on  a  farm,  and  later  purchased  a 
threshing  machine  and  engaged  in  tbreshiug 
and  also  in  teaming. 

Mr.Berg  was  iiarried  in  Henderson  coun- 
t\-,  Illinois,  in  18 58,  to  Maria  Donaldson,  a 
nati\e  of  Norway,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  spring  of  1853,  and  located 
hrst  in  Chicago,  after  which  she  went  to 
Henderson  county.  .After  marriage,  Mr. 
Berg  rented  a  farm  for  three  years  in  Hen- 
derson county,  which  he  operated,  and  in 
1864  moved  to  De  Kalb  county  and  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  uniinpro\ed  i:ind  in 
Milan  township,  on  which  he  located,  and 
as  time  passed,  made  other  purchases  of 
land  until  he  was  the  owner  of  si.\  hundred 
acres,  all  of  which  was  well  improved.  His 
home  place  may  be  considered  a  model  farm, 
having  all  the  irnprovements  used  on  a  farm  at 
the  present  time,  including  a  gasoline  engine 
for  pumping  water  for  stock  and  grinding 
feed  for  the  same.  Coming  to  this  country 
without  a  dollar,  his  success  in  life  has  been 
remarkable,  and  all  has  been  acquired  by 
his  own  labor,  assisted  by  his  good  wife. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Oscar 
T. ,  who  is  married  and  residing  on  the  old 
farm,  and  Amelia,  wife  of  A.  Sanderson,  a 
farmer  of  Milan  township.  They  have  lost 
three  children.  Caroline  grew  to  woman- 
hood, married  Charles  Sanderson,  and  died 
leaving  si.\  children.  Oscar  died  at  the  age 
of  four  years,  and  Caroline  died  in  infancy. 
To  each  of  his  children  he  has  given  good 
farms,  while  yet  retaining  the  home  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 

In  addition  to  his  general  farming.  Mr. 
Berg   h;is    for   years   ov\  ned    and  operated  a 


I2S 


THE    BIOCRAPHKAL    KIXOKD. 


steam  thresher,  and  has  now  one  of  the 
most  complete  threshing  machines  mann- 
factured.  He  began  the  business  before 
coming  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  has  con- 
tinued in  the  same  to  the  present  time, 
making  it  a  source  of  some  revenue.  He 
has  always  been  in  favor  of  good  roads,  and 
for  six  years  served  as  commissioner  of  high- 
ways, giving  nmch  of  liis  time  to  the  im- 
provement of  the  roads.  PoUtically  he  is  a 
Repubhcan,  Imt  is  not  what  is  now  termed 
a  poHtician.  He  believes  in  the  principles 
of  the  party  and  annually  votes  his  party 
ticket.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  life  long 
members  of  tht-  Lutheran  church.  They 
are  good  people  and  are  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  wherever  known. 


MOKKIS  \V1M.1:Y  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  DeKalb  township.  His 
beautiful  and  productive  farni  is  situated  on 
sections  jS,  21  and  33.  and  consists  of 
three  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  This  farm 
he  did  not  inherit,  but  it  is  the  result  of  in- 
cessant toil,  rigid  economy  and  practical 
honesty.  He  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word 
a  self-made  man.  Everything  about  his 
farm  has  the  appearance  of  thrift,  his  build- 
ings being  models  of  neatness,  while  his 
stock  shows  excellent  care. 

Mr.  Wiliev  was  born  in  Jefferson  coun- 
t\.  New  York,  July  3,  1827,  and  is  the  son 
of  Eleazer  and  Wealthy  fMarsh)  Willey, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same 
state.  Eleazer  Willey  was  a  man  of  integ- 
n'ty  and  influence  in  his  native  town.  He 
was  a  strict  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  for  years  held  the  posi- 
tion of  class  leader  in  the  same.  His  death 
occurred  in  1832,  his  wife  surviving  him  a 
few  yeais.  dying  in  183S.      There  were  se\ en 


children  born  to  them,  our  subject  being 
sixth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  town,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  in  company  with 
S.  Richardson,  with  whom  he  had  lived 
after  the  death  of  his  parents.  The\'  lo- 
cated at  Aurora,  Illinois,  where  our  subject 
remained  until  after  he  reached  his  major- 
ity, when  he  left  his  foster  father  ami  worked 
out  by  the  month. 

In  1850.  in  company  with  others,  Mr. 
Willey  took  the  overland  route  for  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  arrived  after  a  very  tedious 
journey  of  some  months.  While  in  that 
new  Eldorado,  he  worked  in  the  mines,  and 
in  the  course  of  two  years  accumulated 
about  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  Satisfied 
with  his  experience  in  California,  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  and  in  DeKalb  county 
rented  land  for  a  short  time,  and  became 
quite  a  successful  farmer,  so  much  so  that  in 
1855,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  a  portion  of  his  present  farm,  to 
which  he  added  from  time  to  time,  until  it 
has  reached  three  hundred  and  thirty  acres. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  1855,  Mr.  Willey 
married  Miss  Mary  Bo\ee,  a  native  of  Boone 
county.  Indiana,  born  October  9,  183S,  and 
a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Orpha  Z.  Bovee. 
The  latter  was  Ijorn  in  1811.  and  three  of 
her  uncles  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  witnessed  the  hanging  of  Major 
Andre,  of  the  British  armj.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  \\'illey  nine  children  have  been  born: 
Warren  B.,  born  March  14,  1857;  Harry, 
January  17,  1859,  and  who  died  March  20, 
1884;  Sarah  I.,  April  4.  1 861,  and  who  died 
September  29,  1867:  Caroline,  August 
15,  1863.  and  who  died  February  i  i.  1894; 
Eliza  C.  October  30.  1865;  Emily.  Septem- 
ber   21,   1869;  Wealthy    M..  .April    3,   1872: 


tlSRARY 

Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ih.nois 


MORRIS  'WILLEY. 


I 


MRS.   MORRIS  WILLEY. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNW^RSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


'  .1.1 


Richard  M..    February  13.    1875;  and  Lelah 
L.,  July  6,  187S. 

Mr.  Willey  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  a 
church  with  which  he  has  been  connected 
since  January,  1858,  and  of  which  he  has 
been  a  faithful  member,  many  times  holding 
responsible  office.^  in  it.  and  now  serving  as 
trustee.  .As  a  riti/en  he  is  progressive  and 
enterprising,  being  at  all  times  willing  to  do 
his  full  share  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  adopted 
countv,  which  has  now  been  his  home  for 
nearly  half  a  century.  Their  home  is  one 
of  hospitality,  and  their   friends   are    manv. 


JB.  AURNEK  is  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
ing in  De  Kalb.  Illinois,  and  is  a  pioneer 
of  1834.  He  was  born  Jannry  6,  18 18, 
near  Berwick,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Betsy  (Belicki  Aurner.  By  occupation 
Henry  Aurner  was  a  weaver,  and  removed 
from  I^erwick  in  the  spring  of  1829,  to 
Geneseo,  New  York,  to  better  his  financial 
condition.  He  rem;iiiied  in  Geneseo  for  a 
number  of  \ears,  but  hnall}'  removed  to 
Western  Illinois,  and  eventually  found  his 
way  to  De  Kalb  county,  in  1846,  twelve 
years  after  his  son,  J.  B..  had  made  it  his 
home  He  died  in  1S52.  at  the  age  of  ninet\- 
years,  while  his  wife  survived  him,  dying  in 
I85.S,  at  tlie  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 
Their  lives  were  long,  eventful  and  useful. 
Tradition  tells  us  that  the  grandfather  of 
Henry  .Aurner  was  secretary  to  William 
Penn.  His  family  consisted  of  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  yet  living.  Henrv 
F.  ;md  J.   B. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  New  York, 
where     he     remained    until    his    fourteenth 


year.  fn  1832,  he  went  to  Michigan  and 
there  spent  one  year.  This,  as  well  as  sub- 
sequent years,  was  one  of  varied  exper- 
iences He  was  now  beginning  to  hew  out 
his  own  destiny  in  a  new  cotmtry.  with  few 
advantages  and  little  if  any  encouragement. 
In  1833.  he  traveled  through  Illinois,  but  did 
not  locate.  He  was  then  in  compan\  with, 
and  in  the  employ  of  an  Indian  trader, 
whose  custom  was  to  spend  the  milder  part 
of  the  year  in  traveling  through  Illindis,  but 
wintering  in  Michigan,  where  facilities  for 
comfort  were  greater.  Mr.  .\urner  was  in 
this  county  when  the  first  election  was 
held,  previous  to  its  becoming  Kane  countv, 
but  did  not  then  make  it  his  permanent 
home.  He  saw  it  pass  from  La  Salle  to 
Kane,  and  from  Kane  to  De  Kalb  countv, 
during  his  earlv  years.  It  was  not.  however, 
until  1847  that  he  came  to  stay  perma- 
nentlv  and  winter  in  the  countv. 

From  1837  to  1848  he  made  his  home 
witii  William  .A.  Miller,  for  whom  he  worked 
and  from  whom  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.  Three  of  these  eleven  vears  were 
spent  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  carrving  the 
mail  for  Mr.  Miller,  who  had  the  contract  from 
Fort  Crawford  to  Fort  Snelling.  He  subse- 
quently worked  on  the  lower  Mississippi  one 
and  a  half  years  as  a  boathand.  but  sickness 
caused  him  to  abandon  this  vocation.  All 
this  time  he  was  looking  after  and  iinprov- 
ing  his  land  in   De  Kalb  county. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1849,  Mr. 
.\urner  married  Miss  Adelaine  Jarrod,  a 
native  of  Tioga  county.  New  York.  March 
17,  1828,  and  the  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and 
Orpha  Jarrod.  who  removed  from  New- 
York  to  Ohio,  in  1830,  thence  to  Illinois. 
in  1837,  and  to  Wisconsin,  in  1S40,  where 
they  remained  some  years,  but  finally  re- 
moved  to   Blackhawk   countv.   town,  where 


'34 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   kECORD. 


Mrs.  Jarrod  died  May  15,  1873,  at  the  age 
of  seventy- one  years.  She  was  born  in 
Watertown,  New  York,  in  1802.  Mr.  Jar- 
rod  was  born  in  Long  Island,  in  1798,  and 
died  in  March,  1885,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years. 

To  J.  B.  and  Adelaine  Aurner  two  cliil- 
dren  were  born,  George  H.,  January  3, 
1850,  and  Annette  A.,  May  ,i  1 ,  1852. 
George  H.  Aiirner  became  a  physician  of 
wide  reputation  and  practice.  He  received 
liis  priujary  education  in  l)e  Kalb,  and  lirst 
began  reading  medicine  under  Dr.  Hopkins, 
a  well-known  physician  of  De  Kalb,  and 
completed  his  course  at  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege, Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1871,  ;it  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  He 
began  his  practice  in  Ogle  county,  where  he 
met  with  good  success,  and  where  he  re- 
mained eight  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Hanover,  Kansas,  where  he  met  with  the 
same  success,  and  where  in  addition  to  his 
practice,  he  engaged  in  the  drug  trade.  No 
man  was  more  belo\ed,  none  could  be  more 
successful.  His  carefulness  of  patients  and 
strict  personal  attention  to  every  detail,  cost 
him  his  life.  He  contracted  the  disease  and 
also  bloodpoisoning.  while  attending  a  pa- 
tient suffering  from  diphtheria.  He  departed 
this  life  April  11,  1891.  He  married  Miss 
Hattie  Smith,  January  i,  1871,  and  who 
died  April  6,  1888,  leaving  four  children: 
George  A.,  born  June  15,  1872;  Grace  H., 
January  7,  1874;  Myrtle  B. ,  August  26, 
1876;  and  Edna  May,  December  9,  1878. 
The  Doctor  subsequently  married  and  by 
the  second  marriage  had  one  child,  Ida  A., 
born  January  16,  1891.  Annette  Aurner 
married  Noyes  Belknap,  November  8,  1879, 
and  for  a  second  husband  she  married  W. 
C.  Keeler,  yardmaster  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway,  at  De  Kalb,  Illinois. 


This  latter  marriage  was  solemnized  Octo- 
ber 1 5,   1S90. 

The  first  purchase  of  land  made  by  our 
subject  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  which  cost  him  one  dollar  and  twen- 
ty five  cents  per  acre.  To  this  he  added 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  more,  these 
purchases  being  made  under  the  administra- 
tions of  Presidents  Van  Buren  and  Polk, 
whose  names  are  attached  to  his  deeds. 
Half  of  this  land  he  disposed  of,  and  now 
owns  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  highly 
im|)roved  land.  .\lr.  .\urner  is  much  re- 
spected by  his  fellow  citizens  for  his  sterling 
worth. 


WILLIAM  M.  .\THEKTON  is  a  vet- 
eran of  the  war  for  the  Union,  and 
an  enterprising  farmer  residing  on  section 
19,  Paw  Paw  township.  He  was  born  in 
Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  21, 
1841,  and  is  the  son  of  I^alph  .\therton,  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  born  .April  1,  1804. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Jonathan  Ather- 
ton,  was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  there  spent  his  entire  life,  his  old  home- 
stead being  still  owned  and  occupied  by  one 
of  his  sons,  Zora  Atherton.  In  his  native 
state  Ralph  Atherton  grew  to  manhood, 
being  one  of  four  sons,  all  of  whom  are  over 
si.\  feet  in  height.  He  went  to  Pennsyl- 
vaniaa  young  man  in  1828,  locating  in  Lu- 
zerne county,  where  he  married  Maria  Sine, 
a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who  went  to  Lu- 
zerne county  a  miss  of  twelve  years,  with 
her  father,  Phillip  Sine,  who  was  a  miller 
by  occupation,  and  there  engaged  in  the 
milling  business.  Ralph  .Atherton  was  a 
shoemaker  by  trade,  and  ser\ed  an  appren- 
ticeship of  seven  years.  He  opened  up  a 
store   and    engaged    in    the    boot    and    shoe 


THE    lilOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


>55 


business  for  several  years  in  Scranton, 
Pennsylvania.  In  1843  '^^  came  to  DeKalb 
county.  Illinois,  and  entererl  a  tract  of  two 
hundred  acres,  a  portion  of  which  now  com- 
prises the  farm  of  our  subject.  Locating  on 
his  claim  he  built  a  log  house,  in  which  he 
lived  for  eight  years,  while  improving  the 
farm.  During  the  winter  he  worked  at  his 
trade,  and  carried  on  quite  an  extensive 
business,  making  boots  and  shoes  for  the 
people  in  the  surrounding  country.  The  old 
log  house  gave  place  to  a  more  modern 
frame  building  after  eight  years,  and  he 
there  reared  his  family.  .After  the  death  of 
bis  wife,  he  went  to  Kansas  and  resided 
with  a  son  two  or  three  years,  then  returned 
to  Illinoisand  spent  his  last  years,  dying  at 
the  residence  of  a  daughter  in  Lee  county, 
September  6.  1890,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years.  In  his  family  were  seven  sons  and 
four  daughters,  of  whom  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  yet  survive. 

William  M.  .\therton  came  to  DeKalb 
county,  when  a  child,  and  grew  to  manhood 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  .After 
attending  the  common  schools,  he  spent 
several  terms  in  Union  Academy,  at  Paw 
Paw.  He  was  married  in  Sycamore,  Feb- 
ruary 2.  1861.  to  Miss  Ellen  Burch,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  but  who  was  reared  in  DeKalb 
county.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  he  engaged 
in  farming,  but  his  services  were  in  demand 
by  the  government,  and  August  12,  1S62, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Seventy-fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  a  company  raised 
at  West  Paw  Paw,  and  in  which  his  two 
brothers,  Benjamin  F.  and  Zora,  also  en- 
listed. The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
.Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  participated 
in  many  engagements  during  its  term  of 
service.  In  the  battle  of  Perryville,  Ken- 
tnckv.  October  8.  1862.  it  lost  two  hundred 


and  forty-five  men,  and  among  the  killed 
was  Zora  .Atherton.  and  among  the  wounded 
was  Benjamin  F.  .Atherton.  .Among  the 
other  engagements  in  which  the  regiment 
participated,  were  Stone  River.  Liberts'  Gap, 
Tullahoma.  Chii  kainauga.  Lookout  Moim- 
tain  and  Mission  Kidj^e.  At  Lookout  Moun- 
tain the  company  of  our  subject  was  on 
the  wagon  road  skirmish  line.  Later  the 
regiment  was  at  Ringgold,  and  following 
was  in  the  siege  and  surrender  of  .Atlanta.  It 
was  in  all  the  battles  m  the  campaign  from 
Chattanooga  to  the  surrender  of  .Atlanta  in 
1S64.  On  the  wa)-  down  it  was  in  the  light 
at  Dalton,  and  returning  was  in  the  Hght  at 
Franklin,  and  also  at  Nashville,  together 
with  a  great  many  lesser  fights  and  skir- 
mishes. From  the  24th  of  November, 
1862,  our  subject  was  never  off  duty  nor 
lost  any  time  from  sickness.  He  was  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  July  4,  1S65.  and  re- 
turned to  his  home  and  resumed  his  place 
upon  the  farm. 

While  still  in  the  service,  December  19, 
1864.  his  wife  died,  leaving  one  son,  Harry 
Lincoln,  now  grown  and  married,  and  en- 
gaged as  a  telegraph  operator  in  Oklaho- 
ma. In  Lee  county,  Illinois,  December 
10,  1865,  Mr.  .Atherton  married  Miss  Elea- 
nor Stone,  a  native  of  Xew  York  state, 
who  came  west  with  her  father,  William 
Stone,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  De- 
Kalb county,  and  who  now  resides  at  East 
Paw  Paw.  After  marriage,  he  located  on 
a  forty-acre  tract,  which  he  purchased  ad- 
joining the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and 
there  engaged  in  farming  until  1869,  when 
he  rented  the  place  and  moved  to  Califor- 
nia, where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixtj-  acres  of  land  and  engaged  in  raising 
grain.  Ill  luck  attended  him,  the  drv 
weather    ruiniiii;    two    crop-;,    hut    the    thiid 


136 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


year  he  raised  a  fine  crop,  but  having  enout;h 
of  California,  in  1872,  he  returned  to  De 
Kalb  county,  and  purch.ised  OL)e  hundied 
and  thirty  acres  of  his  father's  old  place, 
and  some  years  later  purchased  the  remain- 
der, and  has  there  since  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  farming. 

In  1883  Mrs.  Atherton  died.  By  the 
last  marriage  there  were  five  children.  Ad- 
die  grew  to  womanhood,  married,  but  is 
now  deceased.  Ralph  L.  is  married  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Lee  county.  Benjamin 
F.  enlisted  in  the  Third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  as  a  member  of  Company'  M,  in 
the  late  war  with  Spain.  Wilbur  A.  C.  is 
assisting  in  carrj  ing  on  the  home  farm. 
Jonathan  W.  resides  with  his  parents. 

Politically  Mr.  .\therton  was  a  Repub- 
lican for  many  years,  then  a  Greenbacker 
and  later  a  Prohibitionist,  but  in  1896  sup- 
ported Bryan  and  free  silver.  For  three 
years  he  served  assessor  of  his  township,  and 
for  five  years  was  school  director  of  his  dis- 
trict. In  the  fifty-five  years  of  his  residence 
in  De  Kalb  county  he  has  made  many 
warm  friends  and  few  enemies. 


WILLIAM  BLAIK  is  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  the  village  of  Malta.  He 
was  born  in  Barrickshire,  Scotland,  Febru- 
ary 28,  1824,  and  is  the  son  of  Robert  and 
Jane  (Dickson)  Blair,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  same  shire.  Robert  Blair 
was  by  trade  a  weaver,  but  handlooms  be- 
ing superseded  by  machinery,  he  abandoned 
his  trade  and  engaged  in  farming.  Our 
subject  coming  to  this  country  in  185  i,  his 
parents  followed  him  the  next  year,  locat- 
ing at  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  where  they  re- 
sided two  years,  when  they  removed  to  Du 
Page   county,  Illinois,    and    remained   three 


years,  after  which  they  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  where  they  resided  during  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  Robert  Blair  died 
Ma\  4.  1891,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years,  while  his  wife  died  August  6,  1876, 
in  her  seventj'-ninth  year.  Their  family 
consisted  of  nine  children,  of  whom  five 
grew  to  maturity,  William  being  third  in 
order  of  birth. 

William  Blair  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  country,  and  five  years  prior 
to  his  emigration  to  .America  he  served  as  a 
tobacconist  and  chandler.  He  was  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  left  his  native 
land  and  came  to  America.  After  residing 
here  for  a  time  he  sent  for  his  parents,  and 
on  their  arrival  cared  for  them  during  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  In  May,  1857,  he 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
acres  in  MiJ-^n  township,  to  which  he  soon 
added  eighty  more  acres,  and  still  later  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  five  acres,  making 
him  a  fine  farm  of  three  hundred  and  forty- 
five  acres.  All  this  was  in  its  wild  state 
when  purchased,  but  now  it  is  handsomely 
improved  and  supplied  with  all  that  is  mod- 
ern in  the  farming  world.  He  was  an  all 
around  farmer,  confining  himself  to  no  par- 
ticular line,  but  was  a  success  in  whatever 
he  undertook.  In  1891  he  built  a  cream- 
erj'  on  his  place,  which  was  run  by  his  son 
John  until  1898,  when,  the  labor  required 
in  running  both  creamery  and  farm  being 
too  great,  he  disposed  of  the  former  to  some 
Chicago  parties.  The  output  of  butter 
manufactured  was  quite  large. 

On  November  13  1856,  Mr.  Blair  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  McNeil, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  McNeil,  both 
natives  of  Scotland,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  August,  1855.  By  this  union  six 
children   have    been  born,  all   of  whom  are 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


yet  living,  naineh :     Robert    H..    John   N. , 
Mary  J..  Alice  D.  and  Edith. 

In  politics  Mr.  Blair  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  been  honored  with  nearly  all  the 
cfiBces  the  citizens  of  his  township  could 
bestow  upon  him.  He  and  his  wife  are 
consistent  members  of  the  Congregational 
church. 


GEORGE  WOOD,  a  retired  blacksmith 
residing  in  De  Kalb,  was  born  at  East 
Lothain,  Scotland,  September  9,  1818.  His 
parents,  Robert  and  Beatrice  (Thorn)  Wood, 
were  natives  of  Scotland,  and  lived  and  died 
on  their  native  soil.  They  were  honest,  up- 
right and  industrious  people.  Robert  died 
in  1848,  at  the  age  of  sixty -six  years,  his 
wife  surviving  him  until  1878,  dying  at  the 
age  of  eightj'-five  years.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living:  Robert,  a  resident  of  New 
Zealand;  John,  residing  in  New  York:  and 
George,  our  subject. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  resided  in 
Lothain,  Scotland,  until  he  reached  his 
fifteenth  year,  when  he  removed  to  the 
county  of  Edinboro,  where  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  blacksmith's  trade,  though 
a  part  of  the  time  working  in  the  city  of 
Edinburgh.  In  that  county  he  continued 
to  remain,  working  as  a  journeyman  black- 
smith, up  to  1 85 1,  at  which  time  he  em- 
barked for  the  United  States.  Arriving  in 
New  York,  he  remained  in  that  state  for 
four  years.  In  1855,  he  removed  to  May- 
field,  Illinois,  where  he.  remained  one  year, 
and  in  1.856  moved  to  De  Ka!b,  where  he 
opened  a  shop  on  Main  street.  Since  locat- 
ing in  De  Kalb,  he  has  been  quite  success- 
ful and  has  hammered  out  on  his  anvil 
some  valuable  city  property.      He  now  ow  ns 


five  choice  lots,  upon  two  of  which  are  ex- 
cellent dwellings,  one  being  occupied  by 
himself.  In  1896.  he  sold  his  shop  and 
tools  to  Thomas  Thompson,  since  which 
time  he  has  lived  a  retired  life. 

In  December,  1839,  Mr.  Wood  married 
Miss  Jeannette  King,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
born  in  1800,  and  a  daughter  of  Adam  King. 
She  died  at  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  in  1858,  in 
her  fifty-ninth  year.  For  his  second  wife, 
in  December,  1859,  Mr.  Wood  married 
Flora  Bennett,  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  at 
Sanfield,  in  1S23.  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  McKee,  who  emigrated  to 
Canada,  in  an  early  day.  where  the  father 
died.  Subsequently  the  mother  and  chil- 
dren removed  to  the  United  States,  locating 
in  De  Kalb.  where  .Mrs.  McKee  died  April 
24.  1875.  at  the  age  of  eighty- five  years. 
By  this  second  union  four  children  were 
born:  Jennie,  born  February  7,  i860;  Rob- 
ert, born  May  27,  iS6i,d!edin  1878;  Belle, 
born  April  21,  1863;  and  Joseph,  July  7, 
1865.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  and  are  con- 
scientious people,  having  many  friends  in 
De  Kalb. 


EDWIX  P.  SMITH,  a  retired  farmer,  re- 
siding in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  is  a 
native  of  De  Kalb  county,  born  in  Mayfield 
township.  January  19.  1843.  His  father; 
Spafford  S.nith.  was  born  in  Windsor.  \'er- 
mont.  May  18.  1809.  He  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when  he. left  home  to. learn  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  He  married  Eliza  ShQJes^June 
9.  1835,  and  four  yjears  later  came. to  De 
Kalb  county.  She  was  the  daugjiter  o( 
Prentiss  Sho!es,  of  Ciearmont,  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation   and 


138 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


who  died  in  his  native  stale.  On  his  arrival 
in  De  Kalh  county,  Spafford  Smith  stopped 
for  a  time  in  Sycamore,  which  then  com- 
prised but  very  few  houses,  and  he  was  only 
able  to  get  one  room  in  the  city  hotel.  At 
that  time  there  were  six  families  doing  like- 
wise. He  Worked  as  a  carpenter  on  the 
hotel  and  other  buildings  until  the  following 
spring,  when  he  moved  to  his  farm  in  Maj- 
tield  township,  and  for  se\eral  years  lived 
in  a  lug  house.  Chicago,  si.\ly  miles  away, 
was  his  trading  point.  For  some  years 
after  his  arrival  Shabbona,  with  his  tribe 
(j(  Indians,  were  often  seen  in  the  vicinity. 
For  thirty  j'ears  be  lived  upon  his  farm  in 
Maylield  township,  but  in  1870  moved  to 
the  city  of  Sycamore,  where  the  remainder 
of  his  life  was  spent  He  became  a  ver)' 
prosperous  man,  and  at  one  time  was  the 
owner  of  four  farms,  two  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  one  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three  acres,  and  one  of  three  hundred 
and  ten  acres.  His  death  occurred  in  1895, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He  came  of 
a  long-lived  family.  His  father  served  in 
the  war  of  181 2.  The  grandfather  was 
twice  married,  Spafford  and  Curtis  Smith, 
who  came  west  together,  being  children  by 
the  second  wife.  .\  half-brother  of  Spafford 
heard  of  the  latter  living  in  Sycamore, 
through  a  gentleman  from  that  city  travel- 
ing on  a  train  in  the  west.  He  wrote  to 
him  and  visiteti  with  him  in  1889,  after  a 
separation  oi  se\enty  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  1800.  diet! 
January    31,    1881. 

Edwin  P.  Smith,  our  subject,  was  reared 
m  his  native  township,  and  there  resided 
until  1892,  a  period  of  forty-nine  years. 
He  attended  the  district  school  until  the 
age  of  twenty  \'ears,  and  spent  two  years 
ill   the   schools  of  Sycamore    and   one  )"ear 


in  a  private  school.  He  remained  with 
liis  father  until  the  age  of  twenty-six  years, 
when  he  married  and  took  Charge  of  the 
old  farm,  his  parents  shortly  after  mov- 
ing to  Sycamore.  After  operating  the  farm 
for  some  years,  his  father  gave  to  him  a 
(\ctt\  to  the  place,  retaining  an  annuity  for 
life.  He  was  married  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1870,  ill  Ma\  held  township,  to  Miss  Flora 
M.  joiner,  a  native  oi  that  township,  and 
hfth  in  a  famil)'  of  six  ihiidren  born  to 
Cyrus  S.  and  Elmira  (L\on)  joiner,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  W'olcott,  Wayne  county, 
Xew  \'ork,  born  October  5,  1813,  ami  w  Ikj 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  went  to  Allegany 
county.  New  York,  but  who  was  married  in 
Chautauqua  county,  that  state,  April  24, 
1836.  He  came  to  l)e  Kalb  county  in  1837, 
and  located  in  Maytield  township,  becoming 
one  of  its  pioneer  citi.zens.  By  this  union 
one  son  was  born,  Albert  P.,  born  on  the 
farm  November  8,  1870,  and  who  now  lives 
in  Denver,  Colorado,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  coal,  wood  and  ice  business.  He  is 
a  tine  amateur  photographer,  and  is  also 
very  skillful  with  fine  tools,  and  being  quite 
artistic,  he  has  manufactured  for  his  own 
family  and  friends  a  number  of  piecis  of  tine 
inlaid  woik.  He  built  a  large  hall  clock  of 
walnut,  inlaid  with  beautiful  figures  of  white 
wood.  It  is  a  small  clock,  and  as  tine  as 
anything  that  ever  came  from  Switzerland. 
His  education  was  obtained  at  Lombard 
Lni\ersity,  Calesburg,  Illinois,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1894,  and  the  following 
year  took  up  his  residence  in  Denver.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  chnrch. 

In  politics  our  subject  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  as  road  commissioner  and 
school  director.  He  is  a  substantial  farmer 
and  good  business  man,  and  has  three  hun- 
dred and    ten    acres   in    Maj'tield    township, 


THE    BIOGR.APHICAL   RECORD. 


'39 


which  is  well  improved  in  .every  respect. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  come  from  fine  old 
Xew  England  families,  dating  back  in  colo- 
nial days.  As  a  citizen  he  is  enterprising, 
and  is  ever  ready  to  do  his  part  in  proniot- 
mg  the  material  interests  of  his  native 
county  and  state. 


GEORGE  N.  LUCAS.  M.  U. .  is  a  well- 
known  physician  and  surgeon  of  Malta, 
Illinois.  There  is  no  profession  or  calling 
more  sacred  than  that  of  the  physician.  He 
stands  on  the  threshold  of  time  and  ushers 
man  into  the  world;  he  assists  him  in  the 
observance  of  nature's  laws  all  through  life, 
and.  at  its  close,  helps  him  down  the  steep 
declivitj-,  smoothing  his  pathway  and  mak- 
ing iiis  exit  easy,  as  he  again  passes  back  to 
the  unknown.  The  man  who  proclaims  a 
written  law  is  no  higher  or  holier  than  he  who 
teaches  the  observance  of  the  unwritten  law 
of  the  Almighty.  We  revere  the  learned  and 
eloquent  divine,  but  no  less  the  experienced 
and  cultured  physician.  Whatever  art  or 
profession  aids  humanity  to  be  true  to  itself 
and  the  laws  of  nature,  that  takes  up  the 
brittle  and  often  shattered  threads  of  life, 
making  it  to  perform  its  proper  functions, 
is  noble,  philanthropic,  divine.  It  is  with 
pleasure,  therefore,  that  we  write  the  sketch 
of  Dr.  George  N.  Lucas,  a  man  who  is  self- 
made  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term. 

Dr.  Lucas  was  born  at  Quaker  Hill,  In- 
diana, March  25.  i860,  and  is  the  son  of 
George  and  Emily  (Henderson)  Lucas,  the 
fi  rmer  a  native  of  Uniontown,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  the  latter  of  Quaker  Hill,  Indiana. 
Shortly  after  the  birth  of  our  subject,  they 
removed  from  Quaker  Hill,  Indiana,  to 
Texas,  where  the  husband  and  father  died, 
at    the    age    of     twenty-four    years,    when 


George  was  but  six  months  old.  .\fter  the 
death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Lucas  returned 
to  Indiana,  where,  later,  she  was  again 
married,  but  died  in  1871.  This  advent 
threw  the  bo}'  on  the  world  without  the 
protecting  influence  of  a  mother's  lo\e.  the 
ties  of  which  are  often  tested,  but  never 
broken,  for  "No  love  like  mother's  love 
ever  was  known."  Mrs.  Lucas  was  reared 
among  those  peace-loving  people  known  as 
Friends,  whose  habits  of  life  are  proverbial 
for  their  strictness  in  those  christian  princi- 
ples upon  which  rest  true  manhood.  She 
was  known  and  respected  for  her  true 
worth,  upright  character  and  pure  life. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother,  our  sub- 
ject went  to  the  home  of  his  grandfather, 
Henry  Lucas,  at  Whitestown.  Boone  coun- 
ty. Indiana,  where  he  remained  until  1874. 
The  panic  of  1873  proving  ruinous  to  his 
grandfather's  business,  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  was  thrown  entirely  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, and  at  once  saw  the  necessity  of 
striking  out  in  life  for  himself.  For  the 
space  of  ten  years  he  worked  at  various  vo- 
cations in  various  places,  as  any  boy  would 
under  similar  circumstances.  All  this  time, 
however,  he  was  looking  to  the  de\elop- 
ment  of  the  intellectual  man  b\'  attending 
school  at  every  opportunity.  Up  to  the 
time  he  attained  his  majority  the  most  of 
his  schooling  was  received  in  Boone  and 
Putnam  counties,  Indiana.  He  then  en- 
tered the  high  school  at  Lebanon,  Indiana, 
where  he  spent  some  time  in  fitting  himself 
for  future  usefulness.  In  1874  he  removed 
to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  but 
on  account  of  the  treatment  of  patients, 
which  did  not  agree  with  his  tastes,  he 
abandoned  thesituation  He  next  repaired 
to  Elgin,  Illinois,  where,  tluough  high  influ- 


I40 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ence,  lie  obtniiieiJ  a  similar  situation,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  served  also  as  attendant 
and  assistant  supervisor,  and  also  as  night 
watcliman.  At  tlie  expiration  o(  three 
years  lie  obtained  a  position  in  tlie  watch 
factory  where  he  remained  for  five  years, 
Turninfi  his  attention  to  higher  attainments, 
after  mature  thought  and  deliberate  consid- 
eration, he  entered  the  College  of  Ph)'- 
sicians  and  Surgeons,  in  the  I'niversity  of 
Illinois,  at  Chicago,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1S95. 

On  March  25,  1888,  Dr  Lucas  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lucy  E. 
lilackburn,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Eliza 
Blackburn,  of  Manchester.  Illinois,  and  by 
this  union  two  sons  have  been  born,  Frank 
in  1S90,  and  IMwiu  in  1892.  Mrs.  Lucas 
was  born  at  Miiirnyvilif,  Illinois,  March  30, 
1866. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation.  Dr. 
Lucas  established  himself  at  Malta,  where 
he  has  now  a  large  and  increasing  practice. 
He  possesses  these  social  qualities  which 
mark  the  successful  man.  His  conversa- 
tional powers  are  good  with  enough  of  hu- 
mor to  make  him  a  genial  companion. 


LEONARD  AURXER,  agriculturist,  re- 
siding on  section  22,  Kingston  township, 
is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  section  whose 
name  and  history  is  well  known  all  over  De 
Kalb  county.  He  was  born  in  .Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  Juh'  6,  18 10,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  .Aurner, 
both  natives  of  Penns3'lvania,  and  who  re- 
moved to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  some 
time  later  than  their  son  Leonard.  Leon- 
and  Aurner  justly  comes  of  his  good  old 
age,  his  father  dying   in  1852,  at  the  age  of 


ninety-eight  years,  while  the  moiher  died 
in  1856.  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years. 

Leonard  Aurner  renioved  from  Miclii- 
igan  to  Illinois,  in  1838,  locating  on  section 
22,  Kingston  townshij).  He  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  a  Mr.  Taylor,  of 
Chicago,  and  to  this  he  added  at  various 
times  until  he  had  some  five  hundred  acres 
of  excellent  farming  land.  Some  of  this  he 
has  since  sold,  and  st)me  has  been  given  to 
his  children.  He  was  appointed  the  first 
trustee  of  the  first  school  taught  in  this  dis- 
trict, which  was  in  1840,  Miss  Harriet  Rus- 
sell ofliciating. 

Mr.  .\urner  was  first  married  in  St.  Jo- 
seph county.  Michigan,  in  1836,  to  Miss  .Mar- 
garet W.  Dibble,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Dolly  Dibblr,  and  to  this  union  was  born 
nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  \et  living: 
(Orlando  J.,  Eliza  C. .  Wiliiam  R.,  Harriet 
L. .  Charles  L  ,  Joseph  F.  and  .Marquis  D. 
Mrs.  Aurner  died  in  De  Kalb  county,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1864,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
years.  She  was  born  in  Delaware  county. 
New  York.  August  13,  1812,  and  was  a  true 
helpmeet  to  her  husband.  For  his  second 
wife  Mr.  .\urner  married  a  Mrs.  Snyder, 
of  Sycamore,  and  for  his  third  a  Mrs.  Burg- 
heart,  of  De  Kalb.  By  the  last  two  mar- 
riages there  are  no  children.  Both  are  now 
deceased. 

Mr.  .\urner  has  lived  an  honest  and  up- 
right life,  respected  and  honored  among  all 
men.  and  dealing  squarely  with  whomever 
he  came  in  contact.  His  experience  in  the 
county  has  been  varied  and  interesting,  and 
he  is  truly  the  architect  of  his  own  for'.une. 
He  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  part}^  and  has  filled  many 
offices  of  honor  and  trust  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned.  When  younger 
he  was  engaged  in   the   mercantile    business 


LEONARD  AURNER. 
Aged   88  Years, 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

[•NIV^P-CITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HK    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECOKH 


•4' 


in  Chapnianville  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
of  late  has  been  living  quietly  under  the 
roof  which  has  sheltered  him  so  long. 

His  daughter,  Harriet  L..  was  born  in 
Kingston  township.  February  8,  1846,  and 
in  1866  was  united  in  marriage  with  S. 
Keppel,  of  Kingston,  and  to  them  six  chil- 
dren were  born,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing: Minnie  A.,  born  at  Kingston,  February 
21,  1872:  John  M.,  April  27,  1876:  and 
Lida  B..  November  16.  1880.  They  re- 
moved in  1866,  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  but 
subsequently  removed  to  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, that  state,  where  Mr.  Keppel  founded 
the  town  of  Elk  Cit}-,  and  where  he  was  a 
verv  prominent  merchant.  He  was  obliged 
on  account  of  failing  health  to  abandon  the 
mercantile  business,  and  went  to  Miles  City, 
Montana,  in  an  effort  to  regain  waning 
health,  but  it  was  in  vain,  and  at  that  place. 
April  5,  1887.  he  passed  away  to  the  better 
home. 

On  December  25,  1888,  Mrs.  Keppel 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  T.  A.  Shorey, 
a  farmer,  whose  demise  occurred  May  17, 
1890.  Shortly  after  this  bereavement,  Mrs. 
Shorey  sold  out  her  interest  in  the  property 
and  came  to  Kingston,  where  she  has  since 
remained  under  the  old  roof  which  protected 
her  in  days  of  yore.  Her  daughter.  Minnie 
A.,  was  united  in  marriage  to  C.  C.  Smith. 
January  7.  1895.  and  to  them  three  children 
have  been  born,  Harland  L.,  Helen  C.  and 
Fay. 


CHAUNCY  H.  WILDER.  M.  D.— There 
can  be  no  greater  honor  conferred  upon 
man  than  the  title  of  M.  D.  Trained  must 
be  his  nerve,  tender  and  delicate  his  touch, 
deep  must  be  his  study  and  wide  must  be 
his    range    of    thought    and    knowledge    to 


acquire  it.  There  is  no  more  responsible 
position  or  profession  than  that  of  the  physi- 
cian, the  man  who  aids  dame  nature  in 
weavmg  together  the  brittle  and  often  shat- 
tered strands  of  the  thread  of  life.  If  true 
to  his  calling,  he  must  be  in  love  with  his 
profession.  He  must  be  as  much  in  har- 
mony with  the  eternal  laws  of  Jehovah  as 
the  man  who  proclaims  from  the  sacred 
desk  the  oracles  of  the  almighty.  Dr. 
Wilder  is  yet  a  young  man.  but  he  has  that 
true  love  for  the  profession  that  should 
animate  the  hearts  of  all  engaged  in  it.  He 
is  a  native  of  Independence,  Missouri,  born 
October  21,  1865,  and  is  theson  of  Chauncy 
H.  and  Elizabeth  (Hurlbert)  Wilder,  the 
former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter 
of  Illinois. 

Chauncy  H.  Wilder.  Sr. ,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  a  man  of  natural  and 
acquired  abilities.  \\'hile  residing  in  Ver- 
mont, he  was  postmaster  of  his  native  town 
for  several  years.  In  1844,  he  accom- 
panied his  father.  Oliver  Wilder,  to  Win- 
nebago county,  Illinois,  where  the  family 
resided  until  May,  1863,  when  Oliver 
Wilder  passed  to  his  reward.  His  wife  fol- 
lowed him  just  two  years  later,  in  May.  1865. 
Oliver  Wilder  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  and 
was  loyal  to  his  country,  serving  it  faithfully 
and  well  in  the  war  of  1812  with  Great 
Britain.  The  father  of  Oliver  was  Ransom 
Wilder,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  a 
brave  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  one  of  three 
brothers  who  emigrated  from  England,  with 
a  widowed  mother,  Martha  Wilder,  who 
landed  in  Massachusetts  bay  in  1638  and 
from  whom  it  is  supposed  all  the  Wilders 
in  the  United  States  descended.  One  of  the 
family  was  made  a  baron  in  1497  by  Henry 
\TI,  who  gave  him  a  land  grant.      After  the 


144 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


death  of  his  parents,  C'haiincy  H.  Wilder, 
Sr.,  removed  from  Winnebago  count)-,  Illi- 
nois, to  Independence,  Missouri,  where  he 
soon  contracted  a  disease  which  resulted  in 
his  death  in  1-868.  After  his  death  his 
widow  with  her  family  of  little  ones  re- 
turned to  their  old  home  in  Winnebago 
county,  Illinois,  where  Martin  \'.  13.  Wilder 
then  resided,  and  where  she  died  the  same 
year.  The  family  consisted  of  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  now  living,  Chauiicy 
H.  being  the  youngest. 

Ur.  \\'ilder  was  only  two  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  died.  His  uncle,  Martin 
\'.  13.  Wilder,  then  adopted  him  into  his 
own  family,  where  he  shared  alike  with  the 
children  of  his  adopted  father.  In  this 
home  iti  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  the 
Doctor  received  his  first  training,  and  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  city  received  his  edu- 
cation, assisting  at  odd  times  his  foster 
father,  who  was  one  of  De  Kalb's  promi- 
nent merchants.  He  assisted  in  the  store 
and  attended  school  until  he  reached  his 
twenty-first  year.  In  i886,  he  removed  to 
California,  where  one  of  his  brothers  re- 
sided. He  there  remained  three  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
and  in  mercantile  business.  In  1890,  he 
returned  to  De  Kalb,  where  he  engaged  as 
a  clerk  for  the  firm  of  Oleson  Wilder, 
with  whom  he  remained  one  year,  after 
which  he  went  to  Chicago  and  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  James  A. 
Clark,  formerly  of  De  Kalb,  of  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  where  he 
remained  four  years,  three  years  of  which 
time  he  held  the  position  of  house  surgeon, 
which  opened  up  to  his  mind  a  large  and, 
as  yet  to  him,  an  unexplored  field  of  science. 
His  experience  there  was  varied,  but  all  the 
time  his  education  and  training  were  ripen- 


ing. He  firmly  believed  in  the  sentiment 
embodied  in  the  words  of  Bryant,  when  he 
said: 

"  Kefj)  [ju.sliiiig;  'tis  beUt-r  ilian  silling  aside, 
.And  sighing  and  watching  and  waiting  the  tide. 
In  life's  earnest  battles,  they  only  jirevail, 
Who  daily  march  forward,  and  never  say  fail." 

After  four  years  of  hard  and  earnest 
study,  he  graduated  with  high  honors,  re- 
turned to  De  Kalb,  in  1895,  and  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  his  home  town. 
While  in  California,  the  Doctor  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Adalla  Aplin,  a  na- 
tive of  Little  York,  California,  born  Decem- 
ber 9,  1865,  and  a  daughter  of  Dr.  William 
D.  and  Mary  L.  Aplin.  The  marriage  cer- 
emony was  celebrated  August  6,  1889. 
They  have   one   child,    born    September  2, 

1895- 

Dr.  Aplm,  the  father  of  Mrs.  W'ilder,  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgery, 
of  Manchester,  England,  and  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  English  government  previous 
to  his  coming  to  this  country,  in  about 
1852.  For  a  time  he  resided  in  Rhode 
Island,  where  he  held  a  position  as  chemist. 
On  his  removal  to  California  he  was  em- 
ployed by  mining  companies  as  assayist  and 
chemist,  and  finally  went  into  the  mining 
business  himself.  He  has,  however,  aban- 
doned the  mining  business,  but  for  his 
health's  sake  still  makes  his  home  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Martin  Van  Buren  Wilder,  whose  name 
has  been  mentioned  in  this  sketch,  is 
worthy  of  a  more  extended  notice.  He 
was  born  in  Jericho,  Vermont,  in  1836, 
and  was  a  brother  to  Chauncy  H.  Wilder, 
Sr. ,  the  father  of  our  subject.  In  1844  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  in 
1857  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  engaged 
in  mining.      In  i860  he  went  to  Colorado, 


J 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


145 


and  from  there  to  New  Mexico,  where  he 
was  living  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 
Stirred  b\'  a  spirit  of  patriotism,  he  enlisted 
in  Company'  F,  Fourth  New  Mexico  \'olun- 
teer  Infantry,  which  was  subsequently 
transferred  to  the  Second  New  Mexico  Ca\- 
alr}'.  He  served  all  through  the  war  and 
was  honorably  discharged  in  1865,  after 
spending  eight  years  of  camp  life  in  various 
parts  of  the  south  and  west,  .\fter  the 
close  of  the  war  he  moved  to  De  Ralb,  Illi- 
nois, and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
in  1894.  In  1864  he  married  Miss  Clara 
Whitmore,  who,  with  her  three  daughters, 
survive  him. 

Dr.  Wilder  is  an  inveterate  relic  hunter, 
and  has  in  his  possession  fifty  different  pat- 
terns of  pistols,  eleven  kinds  of  muskets, 
some  of  which  were  used  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  others  in  the  Fenian  raid,  and 
some  in  the  Rebellion.  Besides  these  he 
has  knives,  daggers,  stilettoes  and  other 
curiosities.  Each  relic  has  its  own  histor\', 
and  the  affable  Doctor  takes  delight  in  ex- 
plaining in  detail  each  in  its  order.  The 
old  Wilder  home  in  Hingham,  Massachu- 
setts, has  remained  unchanged  for  two 
centuries.  The  Doctor  has  a  large  and  in- 
creasing practice,  and  his  office  and  labora- 
tory are  supplied  with  all  the  latest  appli- 
ances. 


LE\\  IS  FAMES,  who  resides  on  section 
17,  Milan  township,  and  whose  post- 
office  is  Lee,  Lee  county,  Illinois,  owns 
and  operates  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  well  improved  land.  He  is  a 
native  of  Norway,  born  near  the  city  of 
Stavanger,  March  19,  1848,  and  is  the  son 
of  Ole  Fames,  also  a  native  of  N'orwa}-,  born 


in  the  same  section,  and  a  grandson  of  Ole 
Fames,  Sr. ,  who  was  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
Norway.  Ole  Fames,  Jr..  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  country,  and  there  mar- 
ried Anna  Turena  Fames  Goodmans,  also 
a  native  of  that  country.  By  occupation 
Ole  Fames  was  a  farmer,  and  also  was  a 
dealer  in  cattle  in  his  native  countr}'.  He 
there  raised  his  family  and  spent  his  entire 
life,  dying  when  our  subject  was  but  nine 
years  of  age.  Of  their  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, all  grew  to  mature  years,  and  of  that 
number  four  sons  and  two  daughters  are  yet 
living. 

Lewis  Fames  remained  on  the  old  home- 
stead until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  accompan- 
ied by  his  brothers,  Soren  and  Andrew,  and 
sister,  Hannah.  His  brother.  Soren.  had 
made  a  visit  in  i860,  and  made  a  location 
in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  To  that  coun- 
t\'  the  brothers  all  went  on  their  arrival  in 
this  country,  and  there  our  subject  com- 
menced work  for  Fzekiel  Howland,  at 
Prairie  Center,  and  continued  with  him 
three  years.  He  then  went  to  Champaign 
count)',  rented  land  for  a  time  and  then  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Urbana,  which  he  sold 
— and  lived  on  rented  land  some  six  years. 
In  1873  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  re- 
turned home,  and  selling  out,  again  came 
to  this  county  and  purchas  d  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  where  he  now  resides. 
While  the  place  was  partially  improved,  he 
has  since  added  greatly  to  its  appearance 
by  setting  out  an  orchard  and  planting 
shade  and  ornamental  trees  and  otherwise 
improving  the  place. 

Mr.  Fames  was  married  in  De  Kalb 
count\',  March  10,  1875,  to  Martha  Peter- 
son, a  native  of  De  Kalb  county,  reared  in 
Paw    Paw     township,    and    a    daughter    of 


146 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Peter  Peterson,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county.  By  this 
union  there  are  nine  children,  eight  of 
whom  ;ire  jet  living  a.s  follows:  Orrin 
.Augustus,  Peter  Iininanuel,  Mabel  Sophia. 
Leonard  Mertin,  Irving  Silas,  Lester  Mer- 
lin, \"ernu  Ruth,  Ethel  Agnes  and  Clarion 
Obed.  All  are  living  except  Leonard  Mer- 
tin, who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years  and 
five  months.  Orrin  A.  is  a  stenographer 
and  is  emjjloyed  in  Chicago.  Mabel  S.  is 
now  in  Houston,  Te.xas,  taking  lessons  in 
music  and  also  in  elocution.  The  retnamder 
of  the  children  are  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eames  are  members  of  the 
Lutlieran  church,  in  which  he  is  one  of  the 
official  members,  and  for  some  years  has 
served  as  a  deacon.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  has  given  his  support  to  that 
party  since  becoming  a  citizen  of  this  coun- 
tr\-.  He  was  elected  and  is  now  serving 
as  commissioner  of  highways.  For  some 
yeais  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  giving  much  of  his  time  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  public  schools.  He  has 
always  manifested  more  or  less  interest  in 
political  affairs,  and  has  been  elected  as  a 
delegate  to  the  conventions  of  his  party. 
He  is  a  well  known  citizen  of  Milan  town- 
ship, and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 


PATRICK  A.  McGIRR,  who  resides  upon 
section  29.  .Afton  township,  is  a  repre- 
sentative farmer,  one  who  has  had  lifelong 
experience  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  a 
native  of  Afton  township,  born  September 
23,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Powers)  McGirr,  of  whom  further  mention 
is  made  in  the  sketch  of  John  McGirr,  to 
be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  In  the 
district  schools  of  Afton  township  our  sub- 


ject received  his  primary  education,  which 
was  supplemented  by  attending  the  schools 
of  De  Kalb  and  Chicago.  For  some  years 
he  has  been  engaged  in  the  grain  business 
at  Carlton,  Illinois,  and  also  in  the  general 
mercantile  trade,  a  business  in  which  he  has 
been  \  ery  successful,  his  trade  extending 
for  many  miles  around.  In  1897  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  the  place  and  is 
still  serving  in  that  capacity  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all  concerned. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1893,  Mr. 
McGirr  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ellen  Minnehan,  a  native  of  Afton  town- 
ship, and  a  daughter  of  Dennis  and  Marga- 
ret (Foy)  Minnehan,  who  were  natives  of 
Ireland,  and  who  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children.  By  this  union  there  are  two  chil- 
dren, Gertrude,  born  November  18,  1893, 
and  Margaret,  born  May  19,  1896.  Fra- 
ternnlly  Mr.  McGirr  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
having  abiding  faith  in  the  principles  of  that 
parly.  He  has  never  sought  nor  desired 
public  office,  but  has  served  as  assessor  of 
his  township,  an  office  which  he  was  well 
qualified  to  fill.  Success  has  crowned  his 
efforts  in  everything  that  he  has  undertaken, 
and  in  addition  to  his  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise and  means  invested  in  grain  busi- 
ness, he  has  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  valuable  land,  and  is  numl)ered  among 
the  w^ell-to-do  and  progressive  citizens  of 
the  township. 


JOHN  WALKER,  deceased,  was  for  years 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Malta 
township,  and  one  of  the  worthy  citizens  of 
Lee  county  prior  to  his  removal  to  De  Kalb 
county,  honest  and  upright  in  e\'ery  respect, 


THE    HKM.KAPHICAI.    RECORD. 


'4/' 


He  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  Bute- 
shire, Aujjust  38,  1814,  and  was  the  son  of 
William  and  Jeannette  Walker,  both  of 
whom  were  also  natives  of  Scotland.  The 
life  of  a  farmer  in  Scotland  afforded  no 
chance  for  advancement.  One  could  not 
add  to  his  material  wealth,  and  a  bare  liv- 
ing was  about  all  that  could  be  obtained. 
Because  of  this  fact,  our  subject  determined 
to  come  to  the  New  World,  and  in  1845  'i^ 
left  his  native  bnd,  and  came  directl}'  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  St.  Charles,  Kane  count}'. 
After  residing  there  a  few  years,  he  sent  for 
his  father's  family,  who  joined  him  at  that 
place.  They  purchased  a  farm  near  St. 
Charles,  l>ut  account  of  reverses  abandoned 
it,  and  in  1862  removed  to  Lee  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  they  purchased  a  quarter-sec- 
tion of  wild  prairie  land.  In  course  of  time 
this  became  verj'  valuable  under  their  joint 
efforts,  and  two  more  quarter  sections  were 
added,  which  were  later  disposed  of. 

On  the  24th  of  November,  1843,  Mr- 
Walker  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mifs 
Flora  S.  McNeil,  who  bore  him  thirteen 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  yet  living — Mary 
C.  Jeannette  P.,  William  G.,  John  M., 
Charles  A.,  Joseph  H.,  Flora  J.,  Emma  B., 
Henry  A.  and  Belle  S.  Mrs.  Walker  was 
born  in  Argyleshire,  Scotland,  in  1825,  and 
she  was  there  married  to  Mr.  Walker,  and 
they  spent  three  years  of  their  wedded  life 
in  their  native  land,  before  coming  to  this 
country.  She  lived  in  sight  of  the  farm 
upon  which  Robert  Burns  lived  and  worked, 
and  often  visited  the  cottage  in  which  the 
great  Scotch  poet  was  born.  Mrs.  Walker 
is  a  woman  of  rare  natural  ability,  alive  to 
every  good  word  and  work. 

Mr.  Walker  was  a  man  highly  esteemed 
by  his  fellow  citizens,  who  elected  him  to 
ail    the   offices    of    the   township,    which   he 


tilled  with  credit  to  himself  and  friends.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  served  eight  years  as  deacon  of  the 
church  in  Creston,  Illinois.  The  family  are 
also  members  of  the  Congregational  church. 
His  death  occurred  October  31,  1893,  in  his 
seventy-ninth  year.  His  friends  were  many 
throughout  Kane,  Lee  and  De  Kalb  coun- 
ties, and  all  held  him  in  the  highest  respect. 


ALEXANDER  KENNIE  COURT  is  a 
retired  fariner  now  residing  in  the  city 
of  Sycamore.  He  was  born  in  Henderson 
township, Jefferson  county.  New  York,  March 
10,  1848.  His  great-grandfather,  John 
Court,  was  a  native  of  London,  Englat;d, 
where  his  entire  life  was  spent.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Gibson,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  His  son,  Henry  Court,  Sr. , 
also  a  native  of  London,  England,  came  to 
America,  with  his  family,  in  1836,  sailing 
from  London,  in  the  ship  Pliiladelphia,  be- 
ing forty-four  days  cii  route,  and  landing  in 
New  York.  His  son,  Henry  Court,  Jr.,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  London, 
England,  July  7,  1823,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years.  He  grew  to  manhood  in 
Jefferson  county,  New  York,  and  at  Ant- 
werp, married  Lovira  Cross,  a  native  of 
Jefferson  county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  Enoch  and  Betsey  (Britton)  Cross,  the 
former  a  native  of  Keene,  New  Hampshire. 
They  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  second  in  order  of 
birth. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  Jefferson  county.  New 
York,  on  the  old  farm  on  Henderson  Bay, 
near  Sacketts  Harbor.  His  time  was  spent 
principally    on    water,  sailing,  bathing    and 


us 


THK    BIOGRAPHICAL    RFXORt). 


fishing.  In  1865, he  came  to  De  Kalb  coiin- 
t)\  Illinois,  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in 
Sycamore  township.  His  education,  began 
in  his  native  county,  was  finished  with  three 
terms  in  the  Sycamore  schools.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  he  began  farming  on  shares 
with  his  father.  He  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  and  soon  after  rented  a  farm 
near  Charter  Grove,  which  he  operated  for 
four  "year.-i.  In  February,  1876,  he  went  to 
Storj  county,  Iowa,  with  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  dollars  in  cash,  and  purchased 
one  hundred  acres  of  prairie  and  six  acres 
of  timber  land.  In  two  years  he  saw  clearly 
that  he  could  do  better  in  De  Kalb  county, 
as  he  was  paying  ten  per  cent,  interest  on 
borrowed  money  to  carry  on  the  place. 
What  with  poor  crops,  stock  that  he  lost, 
and  hard  times  generally,  he  felt  that  it  was 
for  his  interest  to  return,  and  coming  back 
he  worked  one  year  for  his  father-in-law, 
then  rented  the  John  Woolsey  farm,  on 
which  he  remained  for  thirteen  years.  He 
then  retired  and  camo  to  Sycamore,  buying 
his  present  residence  in  the  winter  of  1893, 
since  which  time  he  has  followed  carpenter- 
ing and  painting  when  work  came  to  his 
hand. 

Mr.  Court  was  married  December  31, 
I  87 1,  to  Miss  .\nn  B.  Dean,  born  in  Never- 
sink,  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Moses  Dean,  a  native  of  the 
same  place,  born  January  27,  181 5,  and  who 
came  west  in  1856.  In  his  native  state 
Moses  Dean  followed  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer,  taught  school  and  kept  a  tavern. 
He  acquired  considerable  property,  some  of 
which  he  rented.  His  emigration  to  the 
west  was  not  until  after  the  building  of  the 
railroad,  and  the  journeys  that  required  of 
the  pioneers  some  weeks  to  make  only  re- 
quired of  him  about  two  daj  s.      On  arriving 


in  De  Kalb  county  he  settled  in  Charter 
Grove,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  be- 
gan a  prosperous  career.  He  was  a  thrifty 
man,  a  good  manager,  acquired  more  land, 
loaned  money  and  was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  best  financiers  in  the  county.  Moses 
Dean  was  a  son  of  Solomon  Dean,  a  native 
of  England,  settled  near  Hartford,  Connect- 
icut, prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
who  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  four 
years.  His  son.  Solomon,  born  near  Hart- 
ford,Connecticut, served  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  as  a  colonel  under  Washington. 
.\fter  the  war  he  married  Elizabeth  Brown, 
by  whom  he  had  two  daughters  and  one  son. 
The  latter,  Reuben  Dean,  moved  to  Never- 
sink.  New  York,  where  he  died  December 
16,  1845,  at  the  age  of  si.xty-one  years.  A 
patriot  like  his  father,  he  served  in  the  war 
of  1812.  Reuben  Dean  married  Elizabeth 
Devine,  a  daughter  of  Eleazer  Devine;  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  Moses  Dean,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Court.  Moses  Dean  married 
Rachel  Evans,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  (Eller)  Evans. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Court  five  children 
have  been  born — Eliza,  Henry  A.,  Albert, 
Moses  A.  and  Delia  Elizabeth.  Of  these 
Eliza  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months 
and  Albert  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Court  is  a 
member  of  the  Universalist  church,  which 
Mr.  Court  also  attends. 


SEPTIMUS  STOREY  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  DeKalb  county  since  the  fall  of 
1852.  He  was  born  in  Harthill,  Yorkshire, 
England,  February  10,  1829,  and  grew  to 
mature  years  in  his  native  county,  where  he 
received  a  limited  education,  and  in  his  boy- 
hood worked  for  a  time  in  the  manufacture 
of  nails.      His   father,  Baruabee   Storw  wrs 


THE    BI0GR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


149 


also  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  as  was 
his  father  before  him.  For  several  genera- 
tions the  male  members  of  the  family  en- 
gaged in  nail  making.  Barnabee  Story  mar- 
ried Sarah  Widdeson,  a  native  of  Derby- 
shire, England,  and  their  entire  lives  were 
spent  in  their  native  country. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1850,  in  company  with 
Joseph  Billam  and  \\illiam  Cutts,  both 
young  men.  They  took  ^hip  at  Liverpool, 
and  were  about  twentj'-four  days  in  making 
the  voyage,  encountering  in  that  time  one 
severe  storm,  which  damaged  the  sails  of  the 
ship  to  some  extent.  On  arriving  in  New 
York  Mr.  Storey  went  up  the  Hudson  to 
.\lban\-,  thence  by  rail  to  Buffalo,  and  the 
lakes  to  Chicago.  From  Chicago  he  went 
to  Kendall  county,  where  he  joined  some 
English  friends  and  commenced  work  on  a 
farm  at  ten  dollars  per  month,  continuing 
to  be  thus  employed  for  one  year.  The 
ne.xt  year  he  rented  some  land  in  Big  Grove 
township,  Kendall  county,  and  secured  one 
crop.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  count}',  and  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land.  Three  of  his  friends  owned  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres,  and  they  worked 
together  to  improve  the  tract,  continuing 
thus  engaged  for  two  years.  Mr.  Storey 
then  bought  the  share  of  William  Cutts  on 
section  17,  to  which  he  removed  and  erected 
a  small  frame  house,  in  which  he  lived  while 
developing  the  farm.  He  later  bought 
eighty  acres  adjoining,  which  had  been 
somewhat  improved,  and  in  due  time  built 
a  larger  residence,  two  good  barns,  tiled  the 
place  and  enclosed  a  part  of  the  barn  with 
a  fine  hedge  fence.  From  time  to  time  he 
added  to  his  possessions  until  he  now  owns 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  one  bodv. 
He  previ(njsly  owned  one  hundred  and  sixtv 


acres  nearby,  which  he  sold  to  his  son. 
Up  to  1894  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
farming  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  farmers  of  the  township, 
as  well  as  a  large  breeder  and  dealer  in 
shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs. 
In  1894  he  moved  to  Shabbona,  after  having 
erected  one  of  the  best  residences  in  the 
place,  and  has  since  lived  a  retired  life. 

Mr.  Storey  was  married  in  De  Kalb 
county.  December  23.  1S56.  to  .Miss  Mary 
Mullen,  a  native  of  Derbyshire.  England, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  a  child  of 
thirteen  years,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Sarah  ( Uyllett)  Mullen,  who  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Shabbona  township,  De 
Kalb  county.  By  this  union  there  are  seven 
children,  live  sons  and  two  daughters.  John 
L. ,  Charles  E.  and  William  H.  are  each 
engaged  in  farming  in  Shabbona  township. 
George  T.  is  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  the  village  of  Shabbona.  De  Forrest  L. 
is  with  his  brother.  William  H.,  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  old  homestead.  Sarah  E. 
is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Green,  a  farmer  of 
Scranton  township.  Green  county,  Iowa. 
Lilly  M.  yet  remains  at  home.  They  lost 
two  children.  Robert  M.  and  Anna  M.  both 
dying  when  about  three  years  of  age. 

Politically  Mr.  Storey  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, his  first  presidential  ballot  being 
cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  i860.  He 
was  elected  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school-board  for  sixteen  years,  three  years 
as  road  commissioner,  and  five  years,  at 
different  times,  as  supervisor.  While  a 
member  of  the  county  board  he  served  on 
the  personal  property  committee,  and  of 
highways  and  printing,  being  chairman  of 
the  latter  committee.  Since  moving  to 
Shabbona.  he  served  two  years  as  a  member 
of   the  village    trustees.      In    every  position 


I  :o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


to  which  he  has  been  elected  he  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  in  a  faithful  and  efBcient 
manner.  In  the  various  conventions  of  his 
part)',  county,  district  and  state,  he  has 
often  served  as  a  delegate. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Storey  are  members  of  the 
West  Shabbona  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  Mr.  Storey  has  officially  served  for 
many  years.  For  almost  half  a  centur)'  Mr. 
Storey  has  been  a  resident  of  Illinois,  forty- 
eight  vears  nf  which  time  a  resident  of  De 
Kalb  county.  Coming  to  this  county  a  poor 
man.  by  his  industry  and  thrifty  habits  he  has 
become  independent  financially,  and  can 
well  afford  to  take  a  well-earned  rest,  know- 
ing that  he  has  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  the  entire  community  in  which  he  has 
resided  so  many  j'ears. 


EDWARD  M.  BURST,  the  present  city 
attorney  of  Sycamore,  is  a  native  of 
the  city,  born  January  i,  1872.  He  here 
grew  to  manhood,  and  in  its  public  schools 
recei%ed  his  literary  education.  Early  evinc- 
irtg  a  desire  to  make  the  legal  profession  his 
life  work,  in  1890,  he  entered  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  Michigan  University  at  Ann 
Arbor,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
June,  1892,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B..  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  the  same  year,  in 
the  courts  of  Michigan.  In  1893,  he  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Caldwell  &  Pierson, 
of  Chicago,  where  he  remained  about  one 
\ear.  and  then  returned  to  Sycamore, 
opened  an  office  in  the  room  occupied  by 
judge  L.  Lowell,  and  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  His  professional  qualities 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  people  of  the 
city,  and  in  1895  he  was  elected  to  serve 
them  as  city  attorney,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1897.      While  in    politics  he  is  a  Repub- 


lican, he  was  elected  the  tirst  term  by  the 
independent  voters  and  to  the  second  term 
on  the  citizens  ticket.  In  1892,  he  was  one 
of  the  delegates  from  Illinois  to  the  Na- 
tional Republican  League,  held  at  Buffalo, 
New  York. 

John  W.  Burst,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Delaware  county,  New- 
York.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war, 
and  is  held  in  high  regard  by  his  fellow 
comrades. 

Captain  Burst  was  one  of  the  earliest  to 
jom  the  G.  \.  R.,  having  been  mustered 
into  Ransom  Post,  Chicago,  in  1866.  He 
was  transferred  to  the  post  in  Sycamore, 
Illinois,  in  1874,  and  was  its  commander  for 
several  years.  He  was  very  active  in  build- 
ing up  the  order  in  Illinois,  and  besides 
holding  many  subordinate  positions  was 
senior  vice-commander,  and  commander  of 
the  department.  He  served  for  several  years 
on  the  G.  A.  R.  National  Pension  Commit- 
tee, and  did  effective  work  in  the  formula- 
tion and  passage  of  the  disability  bill.  He 
has  been  three  times  the  candidate  of  the 
department  of  Illinois  for  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
His  appointment  by  Commander-in-Chief 
Lawler  as  quartermaster-general  met  the 
enthusiastic  approval  of  thousands  of  per- 
sonal friends  among  the  comrades. 

During  the  campaign  of  1896,  Captain 
Burst  was  a  part  of  the  aggregation  made 
up  of  crippled  veterans  of  the  war  for  the 
union  that  made  a  tour  of  the  country  in 
the  interest  of  the  Republican  partj-.  In 
the  party  were  Generals  Sickles,  Howard, 
Stewart,  Corporal  Tanner  and  others.  Soon 
after  his  election  President  McKinley  ap- 
pointed Captain  Burst  United  States  im- 
migration inspector,  with  headquarters  at 
Chicago,  which  position  he   now  holds. 


:i 


PDWARD   M.   BURST. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THi:    r.K 'X.RAl'HICAL    RECORD. 


Captain  Burst  married  Lettice  Mayo,  a 
daughter  of  Hon.  Edward  L.  and  Emily 
(Holden)  Mayo.  Her  father  settled  at  Syca- 
more, Illinois,  in  1841,  and  for  manj'  years 
was  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  bar  of 
De  Kalb  count}-.  As  a  lawyer  and  a  man, 
he  was  prominently  identified  with  its  early 
history.  He  was  born  in  Moretown,  Wash- 
ington countv,  \"ermont.  in  1807.  and  while 
his  advantages  in  early  life  were  limited,  he 
obtained  a  fair  education.  His  friends  tried 
to  persuade  him  to  enter  the  ministry,  but 
he  chose  the  law.  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  i<S35.  He  was  twice  married,  his 
first  wife  being  Miss  Lettice  .\nn  Holden, 
who  died  shortly  afterward,  when  in  Sep- 
tember. 1S40,  he  married  .\fiss  Emily  Hold- 
en, her  cousin.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  1S54  was  the  candidate  of  that 
party  for  congress,  but  was  defeated,  the 
district  being  strongly  Republican.  He  was 
three  times  elected  count\'  judge,  notwith- 
standing his  politics,  and  the  fact  that  he 
belonged  to  a  party  casting  the  minority 
vote.  He  was  on  intimate  terms  of  friend- 
ship with  the  leading  men  of  the  state, 
among  them  being  Stephen  .\.  Dnnglas, 
Judge  John  D.  Caton  and  Lyman  Trumbull. 
After  i860,  he  was  a  "war  Democrat.'  in 
full  sympathy  with  the  union  cause.  His 
integrity  and  honor  were  never  questioned. 
Possessed  of  a  legal  mind,  it  was  among  his 
legal  brethren  who  knew  him  best  and  were 
best  able  to  judge,  that  he  was  most  appre- 
ciated. He  died  in  De  Kalb,  November  16, 
1877.  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  leaving  a 
widow  and  one  .son.  Dr.  E.  L.  Mayo,  of  De 
Kalb.  and  three  daughters.  Mrs.  John  \V. 
Burst,  of  Sycamore:  Mrs.  T.  E.  Bagley,  of 
Genoa;  and  Miss  Kate  Mayo,  of  De  Kalb, 
surviving.  To  Captain  and  .Mrs.  Burst, 
three  children  were  born — Edward   Nf.,  the 


subject  of  this  sketch:  Bessie,  wife  of  Henry 
W.  Prentice,  an  att<irney  f>f  De  Kalb:  and 
Bertha  C. 

Edward  M.  Burst,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  an  earnest  and  active  member  of 
the  Republican  party.  In  1898  he  re-ar- 
ranged and  revised  the  city  ordinances. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  i-'oresters, 
and  in  1898  was  elected  chief  ranger  of 
Court  Kishwaukee  of  Sycamore.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  fine  character  and  future 
promise,  and  has  already  taken  rank  among 
the  able  members  of  the  bar  f)f  De  Kalb 
conntv. 


THO.MA.s  M.  HOPKINS  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  in 
De  Kalb  county.  He  was  born  in  the  tciwn 
of  Salem,  Washington  county.  New  ^'ork, 
.April  2;,  iSiS,  and  was  the  son  of  Hiram 
and  Sarah  (McClary  Hopkins,  also  natives 
of  the  town  of  Salem.  Hir,im  Hopkins  was 
a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in  Salem, 
but  with  a  view  of  bettering  his  condition 
in  life,  he  came  west  and  located  in  Aurora, 
Illinois,  in  the  early  settlement  of  that  place. 
Thomas  M.  Hopkins,  our  subject,  was 
reared  in  his  native  town  and  educated  in 
its  public  schools,  completing  his  studies 
with  three  years  at  Washington  .-Xcademy. 
In  1835,  when  but  seventeen  years  of  age, 
he  commenced  the  study  of  law.  and  Janu- 
arv,  1842,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the 
supreme  court  of  the  state,  at  .Albany,  New 
York,  Judge  Samuel  Nelson  presiding.  .At 
Salem  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion and  there  continued  one  year.  In  1843 
he  came  to  Illinois,  and  after  spending  one 
summer  in  this  state,  went  to  Missouri, 
where  he  resided  until  February.  1846, 
when  he  came  to    De    Kalb  conntx'  and   en- 


■54 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


tered  a  claim  on  section  13,  De  Kalb  town- 
ship, afterward  entering  the  same  from  the 
general  government.  He  at  once  com- 
menced improving  the  land,  erecting  there- 
on a  dwelHng  and  necessary  outbuildings 
and  for  some  years  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing. 

On  the  23d  of  April,  1846,  Mr.  Hopkins 
was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  A 
Hawken,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Hawken,  a 
native  of  Hngerstovvn,  Maryland,  from  which 
place  he  removed  with  his  family  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  where  the  remainder  of  his 
life  was  passed,  dying  at  the  age  of  si.\ty 
years.  His  wife  died  when  thirty-five  years 
old.  To  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hopki. is  five  children 
were  born.  Montgomery,  who  is  a  farmer, 
was  born  October  16,  1847.  Charles  O.,  also 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  October  2, 
1849.  Christopher  M.,  born  September  1, 
1853,  is  a  physician  residing  in  Iowa.  Alice 
C.  (now  Mrs.  Bradt)  was  born  December 
19,  1855.  Jacob  H.,  a  leading  attorney  in 
Chicago,  was  born  May  3,   1865. 

On  first  coming  to  the  state  Mr.  Hopkins 
applied  for  admission  to  the  bar  of  Illinois 
and  was  duly  licensed  to  practice  May  2, 
1S43,  by  the  supreme  court  ot  the  state. 
Chief  Justice  Caton  and  Judge  Richard  M. 
Young  presiding.  On  his  return  to  the  state 
in  1846,  in  connection  with  farming,  he  en- 
gaged in  general  practice.  In  1865  he 
moved  into  the  village  of  De  Kalb,  opened 
a  law  office  and  devoted  his  whole  time  to 
the  legal  profession.  He  was  a  man  of 
marked  gifts  and  powers,  thoroughly  versed 
in  his  profession.  His  familiarity  with  all 
the  laws,  rules  and  regulations  of  the  va- 
rious courts  enabled  him  to  maintain  a  po- 
sition in  the  front  ranks  of  his  profession, 
and  it  was  admitted  by  all  that  he  was  one 
of  the  best  members  of  the  bar  in   De  Kalb 


county.  His  many  clients  bore  testimony 
to  his  /real  and  success  in  furthering  their 
interests.  Socially  he  was  large-hearted 
and  benevolent  in  the  extreme.  He  passed 
away  in  1888  at  the  age  of  seventy  years, 
mourned  by  many  friends  and  missed  by  all. 


HH.  HOPKINS,  a  representative  busi- 
ness man  of  Hinckley  and  De  Kalb 
county,  the  siipt-rintendent  and  manager  of 
e.xtensive  creameries  in  De  Kalb,  Keniall, 
Ogle  and  Lee  counties, has  been  a  resident  of 
the  county  since  1880  and  of  Hinckley 
since  1884.  He  is  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, born  in  Chesterfield,  Cheshire  county, 
July  2,  1 86 1,  and  is  the  son  of  K.  Henry 
Hopkins,  a  native  of  the  same  state  and 
count)',  who  there  grew  to  manhood  and 
married  Miss  Ellen  L.  Newton.  For  man\' 
years  he  was  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  his  native  town,  and  occupied  a  verj' 
prominent  position  in  social,  business  and 
political  affairs.  For  one  or  more  terms  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  legislature. 
with  credit  to  himself  and  constituents. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason.  His  death 
occurred  in  1878,  his  wife  passing  away  two 
years  previousi)-.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children  as  follows:  Charles  Barton, 
a  business  man  of  Hinsdale,  New  Hamp- 
shire; H.  H.,  of  this  review;  George  C,  of 
Oregon,  Illinois,  who  is  interested  in  the 
creamery  business  with  our  subject. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  his  native  town,  and  in 
the  high  school  of  Hinsdale,  New  Hamp- 
shire, finished  his  education.  He  came  to 
De  Kalb  county  in  18S0.  and  ,was  employed 
by  H.  B.  Gurley,  who  operated  a  creamery 
on  his  farm  near  De  Kalb,  Illinois.  \\'hile 
with  Mr.  Gurley  he  received  a  thorough  and 


THI-.    HKXiRAPHICAL    RECORL\ 


1  '-'-, 


practical  knowledge  of  the  creamery  busi- 
ness, and  in  18S4  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  employer,  and  under  the  firm  name 
of  Gurley  iS;  Hopkins,  they  purchased  a 
creamery  at  Hinckley,  which  had  been  in 
operation  some  j-ears,  but  was  then  run 
down  and  doing  no  business.  Mr.  Hopkins 
assumed  the  business  management  of  the 
Hinckley  concern,  and  at  once  commenced 
active  operations.  In  due  time  the  old  ma- 
chinery was  replaced  with  new.  and  the 
plant  is  now  better  supplied  with  improved 
machinery  than  any  other  in  this  section  of 
the  state.  From  time  to  time  the  firm 
added  other  plants,  until  they  have  no\\ 
eight  creameries  in  Lee,  De  Kalb  and  Ogle 
counties.  They  are  all  first  class  plants. 
and  turn  out  daily  about  three  thousand 
three  hundred  pounds  of  first  class  butter. 
Our  subject  has  full  charge  of  the  business, 
and  to  him  is  due  the  great  success  of  these 
creameries. 

Mr.  Hopkins  was  married  at  De  Kalb. 
Illinois,  March  14.  1883,  to  Miss  Frances 
E.  Geiser,  a  native  of  Fonda,  New  York, 
but  who  was  reared  and  educated  in  De 
Kalb. 

Politically  Mr.  Hopkins  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  has  been  quite  active  in  local 
politics,  often  serving  as  a  delegate  to  the 
various  conventions  of  his  party.  In  the 
state  convention  of  1898.  with  others,  he 
represented  De  Kalb  county  as  a  delegate. 
F"or  some  twelve  years  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  town  council,  being  one  of  its 
most  active  and  influential  men.  He  was 
interested  in  and  helped  organise  the  fire 
department,  and  has  since  been  at  the  head 
of  that  organization.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason,  holding  membership  in  the  blue 
lodge  at  Hinckley,  the  chapter  at  Sandwich 
and    the    commandery    at    .Aurora.      In   thi- 


work  of  the  lodge  he  has  taken  special  inter- 
est, and  has  served  as  worshipful  master  of 
the  lodge  at  Hinckley.  While  a  resident  of 
the  county  but  eighteen  years,  he  has  an 
extensive  acquaintance  in  every  part  as  well 
as  in  the  surrounding  counties.  .As  a  busi- 
ness man  he  is  thoroughly  enterprising,  and 
is  alive  to  e\er\  matter  that  will  add  to  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  his  adopted  county 
and  state. 


T  C  DLNC.W,  -M  D.,  is  one  of  De  Kalbs 
<J  prominent  physicians  and  surgeons,  be- 
ing a  thorough  expert,  both  in  the  medical 
and  surgical  branches  of  his  profession.  His 
office  is  on  Fourth  street,  where  he  has  in 
his  service  the  latest  and  most  improved 
medical  and  surgical  appliances.  He  was 
born  in  Waukesha  county,  Wisconsin,  March 
3,  1851,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza 
(Cation)  Duncan,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Scotland,  and  who  immigrated  to  this 
coimtry  in  1842.  locating  in  New  York,  where 
they  remained  five  years  In  1S47  they  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin,  where  they  remained 
twent\-three  years,  going  from  thence  to 
Iowa,  where  the  succeeding  ten  years  was 
spent.  In  1880  they  removed  to  Mendota, 
Illinois,  where  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
was  spent.  Eliza  Duncan  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1890.  in  her  seventy  third  year,  and 
Thomas  Duncan,  December  18,  1895.  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years. 

The  family  of  Thomas  and  Eliza  Duncan 
consisted  of  nine  children,  seven  sons  and 
two  daughters.  Five  of  these  sons  are 
practicing  physicians  at  the  present  time. 
Thomas  C.  Duncan.  M.  D.,  of  Chicago,  is 
also  an  author  of  some  note,  his  volume  on 
treatment  of  infants  and  children  being  a 
standard  work,  which  shnuM  not  otdv  be  in 


1S6 


THK    BIOCxKAPHUAL    RECORD. 


every  physician's  library,  but  in  every  par- 
ent's home.  David  Duncan,  M.  D.,  is  also 
a  resident  of  Chicago.  George  B.  Duncan, 
M.  D.,  resides  in  Kewanee,  Illinois,  while  J. 
C.  Duncan,  M.  1).,  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  I'rank  is  an  occulist  and  ranks 
high  in  his  profession  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
John  is  a  farmer,  residing  in  Mexico,  Mis- 
souri. William,  a  deceased  son,  gave  his 
life  in  defense  of  his  countr\'  during  the 
siege  of  X'icksburg. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
primary  education  in  Waukesha  county, 
W'isconsin,  after  which  he  entered  Milton 
College,  Wisconsin,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1869.  He  then  went  to  Iowa 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  remain- 
ing there  until  1877,  when  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago, and  attended  a  course  of  medical  lec- 
tures, but  did  not  then  graduate.  Returning 
to  Iowa,  he  studied  and  practiced  with  his 
brother,  even  then  a  proriiinent  physician, 
until  1882,  when  he  again  went  to  Chicago 
and  became  associated  with  his  two  brothers 
in  study  and  practice.  In  1887  he  again 
attended  medical  college,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  College.  In 
March  of  the  same  year  he  removed  to  La 
Moile.  Illinois,  where  his  real  active  life  be- 
gan, and  where  success  attended  all  his 
efforts.  In  1892  he  took  up  the  study  of 
the  eye  and  ear,  making  himself  familiar 
with  all  the  diseases  of  those  organs.  He 
is  an  expert  at  testing  the  eye  and  fitting 
glasses  to  suit  all  the  conditions  of  that  del- 
icate member. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  1875,  Dr.  Duncan 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna 
English,  a  native  of  Mitchell  county,  Iowa, 
born  in  1855,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
English,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that 
county.      Mrs.    Duncan  died    May    i,   1877, 


leaving  one  son,  Clifford  ].,  born  September 
10,  1876.  On  the  8th  of  April.  1S80,  the 
Doctor  was  joined  by  inairiag.i  with  Miss 
Nettie  M.  Fatchen,  a  daughter  of  Orlando 
and  Cassie  Patchcn,  of  Wisconsin.  By 
this  union  three  boj's  were  born:  Howard 
W.,  December  it,  1881;  D.  Edgar,  De- 
cember 3.  1885;  and  Thomas  Roy.  Novem- 
ber 22.   1889. 

Dr.  Duncan  remained  in  La  Moile,  Illi- 
nois, until  October  15,  1896,  when  he  re- 
moved to  De  Kalb,  where  he  now  resides, 
and  where  he  enjoys  the  full  confidence  of 
De  Kalb's  best  citizens.  .As  a  physician  he 
has  been  very  successful. 


CAPTAIN  HENRY  C.  WHITTEMORE, 
one  of  the  representative  and  honored 
citizens  of  De  Kalb  cotmty,  who  for  many 
years  has  been  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  Sycamore,  was  born  at  .Auburn,  New 
York,  October  31,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of 
Lorenzo  and  Hannah  (Kelsey  i  Whittemore. 
His  father  was  born  in  Leicester,  Massa- 
chusetts, March  11,  1807,  and  was  the  son 
of  Samuel  Whittemore,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  same  place,  born  September  15,  1769. 
Samuel  Whittemore  was  a  son  of  Lieuten- 
ant James  Whittemore,  who  was  first  ser- 
geant of  a  company  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  who  marched  with  his  com- 
pany to  Lexington,  April  17,  1775,  and 
was  subsequently  promoted  to  lieutenant. 
James  was  the  son  of  John  of  Leicester,  and 
a  great-grandson  of  Thomas,  who  came  to 
Ainerica  from  Hitchin,  county  Hereford, 
England,  in  1641,  settling  in  Charlestown. 
Massachusetts. 

Samuel  Whittemore.  who  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  moved  from  Massachusetts 
to  New  York  and  resided  for  a  time  in  Cav- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


'  .->/ 


uga  and  Allegany  counties.  He  later 
moved  to  Sjcamore,  Illinois,  but  died  at 
Westtield,  New  York,  in  iS66.  while  on  a 
visit  to  that  place.  His  wife,  Catherine 
Ringer,  died  some  twenty  years  previously. 
Lorenzo  Whittemore  came  west  in  1848, 
and  located  in  Sycamore,  where  his  death 
occurred  August  31,  1887.  He  was  by  occu- 
pation a  carpenter,  but  also  learned  the 
shoemaking  trade  and  was  engaged  in  that 
line  of  business  for  a  time.  He  was  a 
natural  mechanic.  Politically  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  religiously  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  He  was  a  large, 
portly  man,  weighing  two  hundred  and 
twentj-five  pounds.  At  one  time  he  was 
coroner  of  the  county,  serving  a  single  term. 
His  wife,  Hannah  Kelsey,  was  a  native  of 
Ulster  county.  New  York,  born  December 
25,  1S05,  and  died  at  Sycamore  in  March, 
1879.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Henry  C.  and  Floyd  K  The  latter 
is  now  deputy  state  treasurer  and  resides  at 
Springfield,  Illinois  He  was  born  October 
2,  1844,  3-t  Auburn,  New  York,  came  west 
with  his  parents  and  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Sycamore.  .After  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  office  of  the  True  Repub- 
lican, he  entered  the  offices  of  the  circuit 
clerk  of  De  Kalb  countj',  and  served  from 
1861  to  1864.  In  1865  he  was  made  assist- 
ant state  treasurer  under  Beverridge,  and 
served  with  him  two  years,  going  out  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term.  He  then  entered 
the  banking  house  of  Jacob  Bunu,  at  Spring- 
field, as  bookkeeper  and  was  shortly  made 
teller  and  later  cashier,  serving  as  such  until 
the  organization  of  the  State  National  Bank 
at  Springfield,  when  he  became  cashier  of 
that  institution,  serving  about  twenty  years. 
He  then  became  cashier  of  the  subtreasury 
at    Chicago,    under    the    administration    of 


President  Harrison.  In  1895  he  was  made 
assistant  state  treasurer,  and  has  held  that 
position  up  to  the  present  time.  In  the 
summer  of  1898  he  was  nominated  on  the 
Republican  ticket  for  the  office  of  state 
treasurer.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best  financiers  in  Illinois. 

Henry  C.  Whittemore,  our  subject,  was 
reared  in  Sycamore,  where  he  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  For  a  time 
he  served  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establish- 
ment, and  then  entered  the  office  of  the  cir- 
cuit clerk  and  was  there  engaged  when  the 
war  broke  out.  He  enlisted  in  September, 
1 86 1,  and  was  mustered  in  in  October  of 
the  same  year,  as  a  member  of  Battery  G, 
Second  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  Captain  C. 
J.  Stolbrand  commanding.  He  was  in  a 
camp  of  instruction  until  December,  then 
went  to  Cairo,  and  from  there  followed  the 
army  down  the  Mississippi.  He  was  ap- 
pointed ordnance  officer  at  Cairo,  and  had 
charge  of  the  ordnance  department  of  the 
.\rmy  of  the  Tennessee.  He  was  with  the 
fleet  at  Island  No.  10,  where  he  remained 
two  weeks.  He  then  went  to  Columbus, 
Kentucky,  and  was  engaged  in  keepingopen 
tiie  railroads  there.  At  that  place  he  served 
on  the  staff  of  General  Quimby,  and  also 
General  Davis.  He  was  later  transferred  to 
the.\rmy  of  the  Cumberland,  and  was  judge 
advocate  for  several  month;.  He  was  then 
with  his  battery  in  front  of  Fort  Donelson. 
Later  he  was  placed  on  the  staff  of  General 
Rousseau  and  served  with  him  until  the 
close  of  the  war. 

Captain  Whittemore  was  mustered  out 
of  service  July  29,  1865,  and  was  soon  aft- 
erwards sent  south  in  the  employ  of  the 
postal  department,  in  reorganizing  the  pos- 
tal service  in  the  southern  states.  He  con- 
tinued in  that    service    until    1867.  when  he 


i-,.s 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


retiirneti    home   and    lHt<rr    engafjed    in    the 
tanning  business  in  which   he  continued  for 
;i    time.        In    1873   he    commenced    in    the 
hardware    l>usiness   under  the  lirni  name  of 
Harkness    &    Whiltemore.    which    partner 
ship    continued    until    the    formers    death, 
when    Mr     Chamberlain    and    Mr.     \    W 
Brower  purchased  the  interest  of  the  Hark 
ness    heirs,  and    the    firm    became   W'hitte- 
more.     Chamberlain     cS:     Co.       I^ater     Mr. 
Chamberlain   retired    and   the   firm   became 
Whittemore  &  Brower.     They  carry  a  large 
line    of  general   hardware,   agricultural    im- 
plements, carriages  and   wagons,  and   have 
built  up  a  large   trade. 

Captain  \\'hittemore  was  united  in  mar- 
riage March  17,  1864.  to  Miss  Amelia  Mar- 
tin, a  daughter  of  Harry  and  Jane  f Slack) 
Martin,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  \'er- 
niont.  She  was  born  in  Sycamore,  to 
which  place  her  parents  removed  some 
years  previously.  By  this  union  there  are 
five  children:  Charles  F.,  born  in  July,  1865, 
died  at  the  age  of  six  jears.  Mary  is  yet 
under  the  parental  roof.  Harry  M..  who 
is  engaged  in  business  with  hi^  father,  mar- 
ried Miss  Gertrude  Chapell,  by  whom  he 
has  one  child,  Helen.  Cora  married  Dr. 
George  W.  Nesbitt,  of  Sycamore.  Flo^d 
graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Syca- 
more, then  entered  the  Illinois  University, 
from  wliich  he  was  also  graduated.  He  is 
now  employed  in  the  office  of  the  state 
treasurer  at  Springfield. 

Mrs.  Whittemore  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  which  she  takes 
an  active  part.  Politically  the  Captain  is 
a  Republican,  with  which  party  he  has 
been  associated  since  attaining  his  major- 
ity. By  his  party  he  has  been  honored 
with  a  number  of  official  positions,  includ- 
ing alderman    of  his  ward   and    member  of 


the  county  board  of  supervisors.  He  was 
first  elected  a  member  cf  the  board  in  1883, 
and  has  been  re-elected  at  each  succeeding 
election,  and  is  yet  serving  as  a  member, 
giving  eminent  safisfaclion.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  thirty-fourth  general  as- 
sembly at  the  time  General  Logan  was 
elected  United  States  senator,  after  a  hard 
and  gallant  fight.  .As  a  membtr  of  that 
body  Captain  Whittemore  did  good  serv- 
ice. He  is  now  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
State  Home  for  Juvenile  Offenders  at  Ge- 
neva. He  has  always  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  political  affairs,  and  is  usually  a 
delegate  in  the  various  conventions  of  his 
party,  county,  congressional  and  state. 

Fraternallj-  Captain  Whittemore  is  a 
Mason,  and  is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery  at  Sycamore. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Potter  Post,  No. 
12,  G.  A.  R. ,  at  Sycamore,  of  which  he  is 
past  commander.  He  is  a  man  of  social 
character  and  generous  instinct.  As  a  citi- 
zen he  is  public-spirited  and  is  active  in  all 
enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  people. 
He  is  greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
him. 


JOHN  POW  EKS,  who  resides  on  section 
28,  Alton  township,  is  a  representative 
farmer  and  well  known  throughout  the 
count)'.  He  is  a  native  of  county  Water- 
.ford,  Jreland,  born  December  20,  1837. 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Ouin- 
lan)  Powers,  who  were  also  natives  of  Ire- 
land and  the  parents  of  five  children,  Ed- 
ward. Patrick,  John,  Mary  and  .Ann. 

In  1854,  when  but  seventeen  years  of 
age,  our  subject  came  to  America,  and 
worked  on  a  farm  in  De  Kalb  county  by  the 
month   for  several    years    in   order  that   he 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


'59 


might  get  a  start  in  the  world.  Previous 
to  leaving  his  native  land  he  attended  a 
private  school,  and  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation. Since  coming  to  the  United  States, 
by  reading  and  observation,  he  has  become 
a  well-informed  man.  In  1864  he  made 
his  first  purchase  of  land,  buying  two  hun- 
dred acres  at  sixteen  dollars  per  acre. 
Later  he  purchased  eighty  acres  more,  giv- 
ing him  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  good  land,  which,  with  the 
improvements,  is  now  worth  about  seventy- 
five  dollars  per  acre. 

Mr.  Powers  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Anna  Hannagan,  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  of  Irish  descent.  Eleven  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  three  are 
deceased.  The  living  are  .\nna,  John, 
Stephen,  William.  Nora,  .Maggie,  Fred  and 
Ed.  Mr.  Powers  and  his  famih'  are  all 
members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  in 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  always 
been  interested  in  educational  affairs,  and 
for  fully  twenty  years  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  A  farmer  who 
thoroughly  understands  his  business,  he  has 
met  with  success  in  his  vocation.  As  a  cit- 
izen he  is  greatly  esteemed  in  the  commu- 
nity, which  has  been  his  home  for  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century. 


JOHN  G.  DAVY,  foreman  in  Bradt  \- 
Shipman's  glove  factory,  De  Kalb,  Illi- 
nois, is  a  native  of  the  city,  born  March  7, 
1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Mary 
Ann  (Whitler)  Davy,  both  natives  of  Eng- 
land, who  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1855, 
locating  in  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  where  the 
father  .engaged  in  the  butcher  business  in 
which  he  proved  very  successful.  In  i860, 
during  the  campaign,  he  killed   and  roasted 


an  o.\,  in  honor  of  Lincoln's  visit  to  the  city. 
He  was  a  strict  business  man,  true  to  those 
principles  which  guide  and  govern  success- 
ful men.  He  died  June  29,  1862,  at  the 
age  of  thirty  two  years,  his  widow  and  two 
sons  surviving. 

John  G.  Davy  was  reared  and  educated 
in  De  Kalb,  and  after  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  the  city,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  George  Gurler  in  the  grocery 
trade,  for  whom  he  worked  three  and  a  half 
years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  went 
to  work  for  I.  A.  Robinson,  in  the  glove 
factory,  then  located  in  the  basement  of  the 
Glidden  House.  He  remained  there  two 
years,  and  at  the  e.xpir^ition  of  his  first  year 
Mr.  Robinson  made  him  foreman  of  the 
shop.  In  1883  he  bought  the  De  Kalb 
Mitten  Company,  which  he  successfully  con- 
ducted on  his  own  account,  increasing  the 
business  to  such  an  extent  that  Mott  &  Wol- 
cott  were  induced  to  buy  him  out  in  1891. 
In  the  following  year  Mott  &  \\'olcott  sold 
out  to  Bradt  &  Shipman,  who  put  Mr.  Davy 
in  charge  of  the  entire  plant. 

On  the  29th  of  March.  1882.  Mr.  Davy 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  B. 
Stevens,  born  at  Sterling.  New  York,  August 
3,  1865,  and  a  daughter  of  Phillip  and  Car- 
oline M.  Stevens.  Her  father  died  March 
25,  1880.  and  her  mother  moved  with  the 
family  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  arriving 
here  May  18,  1880.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davy 
five  children  have  been  born;  Althea  Ruth, 
born  October  11,  1883;  Percival  E. ,  Febru- 
ary 10,  1886;  Benjamin  L. ,  December  i, 
1888;  Reuben  R.,  June  i,  1891;  and  Okley 
B.,  October  12,   1893. 

Mr.  Davy  is  one  of  De  Kalb's  prominent 
young  men,  of  good  business  tact  and  enter- 
prise. He  has  been  interested  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  cigars  for   a   number  of  years, 


i6o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  has  brought  upon  the  iiiarkeL  several 
novel  and  choice  brands,  one  known  as  the 
"  Fraternit.  "  He  has  also  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully the  lunch-room  known  as  "  The 
Famous  Coffee  House.  "  situated  on  Sixth 
street,  near  the  depot.  By  his  townsmen 
he  has  been  chosen  as  a  tit  man  to  repre- 
sent their  interests  in  office,  and  is  now- 
serving  his  second  term  as  alderman  of  the 
second  ward.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  .Modern  Woodmen  of  .America,  organ- 
ized in  1884.  and  is  also  a  meml)er  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  Knights  of  tiie  Macca- 
bees. Ko\al  Neighbor.-;  and  Home  Forum, 
in  all  of  which  he  is  a  leai'ing  spirit. 


ANfOS  W  .  TC)\VNSP:ND.  deceased,  was 
tor  many  years  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  De  Kalb  count}',  a  man  well 
known  throughout  its  length  and  breadth, 
one  who  by  his  own  success  was  enabled  to 
assist  others  in  securing  a  foothold  in  life. 
His  life  was  an  e.xemplitication  of  the  fact 
that  there  are  no  rules  for  building  charac- 
ters and  none  for  achieving  success.  The 
man  who  can  rise  from  the  ranks  to  a  posi- 
tion of  eminence  is  he  who  can  see  and  util- 
ize the  opportunities  that  surround  his  path. 
The  essential  conditions  of  human  life  are 
ever  the  same;  the  surroundings  of  individ- 
uals differ  but  slightly.  When  one  man 
passes  another  on  the  highway  of  life,  it  is 
because  he  has  the  power  to  use  advantages 
which  probably  encompass  the  whole  human 
race. 

Amos  W.  Townsend  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Neversink,  Sullivan  county.  New 
York,  September  23.  1832.  His  ancestry 
is  traced  back  to  his  great-grandfather. 
Charles  Townsend.  who  lived  for  some  vears 
ill  Susse.x  county.  New  York,  but  spent  the 


latter  years  of  his  life  in  Sullivan  county,  in 
the  same  state,  dying  when  quite  an  old 
man.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Hall.  During 
the  Revolutionary  war.  he  served  in  the 
nnlitia  of  New  York,  assisting  the  struggle 
for  independence.  His  son.  Joshua  Town- 
send,  was  born  in  Deckertown,  Sussex  coun- 
t\.  New  Wnk.  jul\  14.  i/t-'j.  He  married 
Phebe  Porter,  a  native  of  New  Haven  coun- 
ty, Connecticut,  bcjrn  l''el)ruary  17.  1787. 
The\'  came  west  in  1840.  locating  in  Maytield 
township.  l)e  Kalbc(iunty,  Illinois,  where  the 
former  died  April  17,  1861,  and  the  latter 
.•\[)ril  28,  1867.  Their  son,  Stepiien  Town- 
Send,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Sullixan  county.  New  York,  in  the  town  of 
Neversink,  Iune30,  1807.  He  there  married 
Miss  Ann  Denman.  Herfather,  William  Den- 
man,  was  born  in  Ditchling,  Sussex  county, 
I-ngland,  November  12.  1763.  He  married 
.Ann  Hotuman.  born  m  Sheddom,  Kent  coun- 
ty, England,  .August  9.  1772.  They  later 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  settled 
in  the  town  of  Neversink.  Sullivan  county. 
New  York,  where  his  death  occurred  De- 
cember 10.  1858,  his  wife  preceding  him, 
having  died  June  5.  1842.  In  1840,  Stephen 
Townsend  came  with  his  family  to  Maytield 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  where  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  passed.  He  died 
some  )  ears  ago  and  his  wife  makes  her  home 
in  Sycamore  and  is  now  eights-nine  years 
old. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  eight 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  the  family 
to  De,  Kalb  county.  They  came  to  this 
country  preceded  by  an  uncle  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  came  here  in  1837.  There  were 
three  generations  in  the  parly,  and  all  lo- 
cated in  MayfielJ  township.  They  dro\e 
through  from  the  east  with  teams,  and  were 


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MRS.  A.  W.  TOWNSEND. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECOKU. 


16=; 


several  weeks  in  making  the  journey.  Pre- 
vious to  their  leaving  Sullivan  county,  New 
York,  our  subject  there  attended  school  for 
a  year  or  two,  and  after  his  coming  to  De 
Kalb  county  he  attended  the  district  school 
for  a  time,  and  completed  his  education  in 
the  Wheaton  academy  now  Wheaton  Col- 
lege. Before  attaining  his  majority,  he  be- 
gan farming  on  his  grandfather's  farm,  where 
he  remained  until  the  time  of  his  marriage. 

Mr.  Townsend  was  married  in  Sycamore, 
October  15,  1857,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Pierce, 
a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  New  York,  and 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Phebe  J.  (^Brund- 
age)  Pierce,  of  whom  mention  is  made  else- 
where in  this  work.  By  this  union  five 
children  have  been  born.  Frederick  B.  is 
the  present  mayor  of  Sycamore  and  man- 
ager of  the  bank  of  Daniel  Pierce  &  Com- 
pany. A  more  e.xtended  notice  of  him 
appears  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
Jennie  married  Charles  A.  Webster,  and 
they  have  three  children,  Marian,  Fred- 
erick C.  and  Pierce.  They  reside  in  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois.  Anna  married  Frank  E. 
Claycomb,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois,  by  whom 
she  had  five  children,  Eleanor,  Amos  T., 
Alta  Louise,  George  F.  and  Edward  Den- 
man.  She  is  now  deceased,  dying  April  8, 
1892.  Georgia  married  Captain  John  E. 
Yates,  and  their  four  children  are  Dorothy, 
Margaret.  Marjorie  and  Oscar  T.  The 
family  now  reside  in  Boise  City,  Idaho. 
Mary,  the  youngest  born,  yet  remains  with 
her  mother. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage.  Mr. 
Townsend  bought  a  farm  a  few  miles  north 
of  Malta,  where  he  lived  for  nineteen  years, 
and  where  he  successfully  followed  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  In  the  fall  of  1876,  on  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  'the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Townsend.    thev  removed    to    a    farm    one 


mile  west  of  Sycamore,  to  make  a  home  for 
Mrs.  Townsend's  father.  On  removal  to 
this  farm,  in  addition  tcj  giving  his  personal 
attention  to  its  management,  Mr.  Town- 
send  soon  became  interested  in  the  banking 
house  of  Daniel  Pierce  &  Company,  as  the 
junior  member  of  the  firm.  He  was  a 
thorough  business  man,  methodical  in  all 
his  ways,  and  success  crowned  his  efforts. 
In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
while  always  taking  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs,  and  while  giving  unswerving 
allegiance  to  his  party,  he  never  asked  nor 
would  accept  office,  save  that  of  supervisor 
of  his  township,  an  office  which  was  forced 
upon  him  by  his  friends  and  neighbors,  be- 
cause of  his  well-known  ability  and  strict 
integrity  of  character.  His  death  occurred 
August  25,  1887,  and  his  remains  were  laid 
to  rest  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Syca- 
more. By  his  death  the  wife  lost  an  affec- 
tionate husband,  and  the  children  a  kind 
and  loving  father,  and  the  community  one 
of  its  best  known  citizens,  a  man  that  was 
ever  ready  to  do  his  part  in  promoting  the 
business  and  material  welfare  of  his  adopted 
county  and  state.  Mrs.  Townsend  now  re- 
sides in  a  beautiful  residence  on  Scmonauk 
street.  Sycamore,  Illinois,  and  her  home  is 
the  abode  of  hospitality  and  the  center  of  a 
refined  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
who  esteemed  her  for  her  many  e.scellent 
traits  of  character. 


WILLIAM  H.  ROBINSON,  for  many 
years  a  successful  farmer  in  S3ca- 
more  township,  and  later  a  dealer  in  agri- 
cultural implements  in  the  city  of  Syca- 
more, but  who  is  now  living  a  retired  life, 
was  born  January  9,  1835.  His  father. 
John  Robinson,    was   born    in     Lancashire, 


1 66 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RFXORD 


England,  November  14,  1804,  and  came  to 
America,  when  but  eighteen  jears  old,  sail- 
ing from  Liverpool  and  landing  in  Canada, 
where    he    resided    for    a    time,    and    later 
moved  to  New  York,  but  returned   to   Can- 
ada.     In  the  fall  of   1836  he   came   to   Illi- 
nois and  selected  a  location  in   Plato  town- 
ship,   Kane  count)',    and   then    sent   for    his 
famil)',  consisting    then    of  a  wife,  sun    and 
daughter.       They    came    in    the    spring    of 
1837,  and  he  there  made  his  home  until  his 
death,    with    the  exception    of  about    three 
years  spent  in  California.      In  1852  he  went 
with  a  dro\e  of  cattle  across  the  plains   to 
California,  riding  all  the  way  on  horseback, 
and  was  from  April  to  November  in  making 
the    journey.      He   reached    the    mountains 
too    late    to    get    the    cattle    through,    and 
therefore  left  them  with  his  partners  in  Car- 
son Valley  until  the  next  spring.      He    met 
only  with  modernte  success  in   mining  oper- 
ations.     After  the  expiration  of  three  years 
he  returned  to  Plato  township,  Kane   coun- 
ty, Illinois,  and  resumed  farming.      Success 
attended  him  as  an  agriculturist,  and  he  ac- 
quired two  hundred  and  fifty   acres   of  ver\' 
valuable  land.      \\  hile  residing  in  Canada  he 
married  Sarah  Hole,  a  native  of  Somerset- 
shire,   England,    born    in    1800.    and    who 
came  to    America    in    1818.       Her    father, 
Robert    Hole,    who    married   Rachel  Hans- 
ford in  England,  settled  first  in  Canada,  and 
later  came  to    the    United    States,  settling 
near    St.    Charles,    Kane    county,    Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  but  later  re- 
turned to  Canada,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  ninety-seven  years.      To  John  and  Sarah 
Robinson   four  children  were    born.      Mary 
Ann  married   Gilbert  Saw'in,  and  both  are 
now  deceased.      William   H.  is  the  subject 
of    this    sketch.       Robert    lives    in    Elgin. 
Rachel  died  in  young  womanhood. 


William  H.  Robinson,  our  subject,  was 
burn  in  Bradford,  Canada,  and  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Plato  township,  Kane  coun- 
ty, Illinois.       On  the  farm  of  his  father  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  assisted   in   its  culti- 
vation from  the  time  he  was   able   to   hold 
the    plow.      His    education   was   limited  to 
the  common  schools  of  Plato  township,  but 
by    reading   and    observation   he    has   since 
become   well    informed.      When    his   father 
went  to  California  he  left  him,  a  lad  of  sev- 
enteen \ears,  in  charge  of  the  home  farm, 
with   all  its   responsibilites.      He  remained 
under    the    parental    roof  until   the   age   of 
twenty-four  years,  when   he   was    united    in 
marriage,  August  i,  1858,  with  Miss  Sabron 
C.  Seward,  born  at  Romulus,  Seneca  coun- 
ty. New  York,  October    18,   1837,  but   who 
at  the  age  of  two  years  was  taken  by   her 
parents  to  Broome  county.  New   York.      In 
185 1  the  family  moved  west  and  settled   in 
North   Plato,    Kane   county,    Illinois.      Her 
father,    Chandley     Lambert-   Seward,    was 
born  in  Courtwright,  Delaware  county.  New 
York,    in    1807.      In  Broome    county,    the 
same  state,   he   married   Harriet   Lee.    No- 
vember 28,   1830.      She  was   born    in    Che- 
nango county.   New  York.    April  25,  1813, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah 
(French)  Lee,   who  moved  froin   Connecti- 
cut to  New  York,  at  a  very  early  day.     Na- 
thaniel Lee  was  a  fine  cabinet  maker,  and 
made  a   set  of    furniture   for  his   daughter 
Harriet   when  she    began   housekeeping   as 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Seward.      Chandley  L.  and 
Harriet  Seward  were    the  parents  of    four 
children,  of.  whom   Mrs.    Robinson  is   third 
in   order  of  birth.      The  others  were  Mary 
Jane  Holmes,  who  lives  in   Kaneville,  Illi- 
nois;   Nathaniel    Edrick,    living    in    Boone 
county,  Illinois:  and  \^'illiam  Wallace,  who 
lives  in  Newago  county,  Michigan.      Chand- 


THE    BIOGKAPHICAL    RECOKU. 


167 


ley  L.  Seward  was  one  of  the  first  to  vol- 
unteer (rom  Kane  county  in  tVie  Civil  war, 
enlisting  for  three  years.  His  son,  Nathan- 
iel Edrick,  served  four  years  in  that  war, 
enlisting  in  Kansas. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject. 
William  Robinson,  lived  and  died  in  Lan- 
cashire, England,  where  he  was  the  owner 
of  fortv  acres  of  land  which  is  now  in  the 
heart  of  the  city  of  Lanshire.  The  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Robinson,  David  Seward,  a 
native  of  New  York,  married  Susan  Smith 
and  moved  to  Michigan,  where  he  died 
Some  years  ago.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of    1S12. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  four  children 
have  been  born,  (ii  George  E.,  born  in 
Plato  township,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  May 
27,  1859,  married  Mmer\a  Love,  who  was 
a  successful  school  teacher,  and  they  have 
six  children,  Carrie,  Arthur,  Glenn,  Leon 
D.  and  Fern  S.  and  an  infant.  For  some 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  farming  imple- 
ment business  with  his  father,  but  now  con- 
tinuing the  same  business  in  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law,  L.  D.  Love. 
George  E.  is  a  graduate  of  a  business  col- 
lege in  Jacksonville,  Illinois.  (2)  Cora  B. 
married  Fred  S.  Rich,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Ernest  Paul.  Their  home  is  in  New- 
ton, Iowa,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  self-feeders  for  threshing 
machines.  Cora  attended  Jennings  Semi- 
nary at  Aurora  and  later  taught  school  for 
several  terms.  (3)  Elsie  A.  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Sycamore  public  schools.  She  studied 
stenography  and  journalism,  and  was  em- 
ployed during  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago, 
by  the  Press  Bureau,  to  gather  news  at  the 
White  City.  .At  the  close  of  the  fair  she 
accepted  a  position  with  the  same  bureau 
in    New   York   Citv.      She   is    a    writer    on 


special  topics  for  the  New  York  Herald, 
New  York  \\orld  and  the  Chicago  Times- 
Herald.  As  a  story  writer,  and  also  a 
writer  of  poetry,  she  has  contributed  to 
such  magazines  as  Lippincott's,  Overland 
and  others.  She  is  a  fluent  writer,  spe- 
cially strong  in  expressive  adjectives,  with  a 
good  conception  of  local  color.  She  is  now 
a  stenographer  in  the  office  of  a  railroad 
official  in  Butte,  Montana,  a  position  which 
does  not  interfere  with  her  literary  work. 
(4)     Edith  died  in  infancy. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage,  .\lr. 
Robinson  was  deeded  forty  acres  on  sec- 
tion 8,  a  part  of  his  father's  farm,  and  later 
he  bought  eighty  acres  in  an  adjoining  sec- 
tion, and  a  timber  tract  in  Hampshire 
township.  In  1865.  he  sold  that  farm  and 
cauie  to  De  Kalb  county  and  purchased  one 
hundred  and  five  acres  in  sections  4  and  9, 
Sycamore  township,  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  until  1874,  when  he  moved  to  the 
city  of  Sycamore,  opened  an  agricultural 
implement  store  and  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness until  January  i,  1897,  when  he  sold 
his  interest  to  his  son  and  son-in-law.  who 
for  some  time  had  been  in  partnership  with 
him. 

In  politics  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Republican. 
The  famil}'  are  regular  attendants  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ORLANDO  HARPER  is  a  retired  farm- 
er living  in  the  village  of  Kingston. 
He  was  born  in  what  is  now  Erie  county, 
Ohio,  May  27,  1S30,  and  is  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Susan  (Williams)  Harper,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter 
of  \'ermont.  Prior  to  the  birth  of  our  sub- 
ject, they  had  resided  in  Ohio  for  some 
time,  where  the  father  engaged  in   agricult- 


i6cS 


THK    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ural  pursuits.  In  1839  they  removed  to 
Boone  county,  Illinois,  where  they  remained 
about  one  year,  and  then  moved  to  Frank- 
lin township,  De  Kalb  county,  and  in  1841 
located  in  Kingston  township,  where  the 
father  made  a  claim  to  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  which  he  improved 
and  upon  which  they  lived  a  prosperous  and 
respected  people.  Afterwards  he  purchased 
it  from  the  government.  Joseph  Harper 
died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  fifty- four  years, 
and  his  wife  in  1857,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  Their  family  numbered  nine  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  now  living,  Mrs. 
Laura  W.  Buck,  George,  Col.  J.  W.  and 
Orlando. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  fifth  in 
order  of  birth,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
mostly  in  Kingston  township,  being  nine 
jears  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Illinois.  He  remained  upon  the  home  farm 
and  assisted  in  its  cultivation  until  after  he 
attained  his  majority,  in  the  meantime  at- 
tending the  common  schools,  as  the  oppor- 
tunity was  afforded  him.  On  the  2ist  of 
September,  1853,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Sallie  Cameron,  a  native  of 
Indiana,  born  July  21,  1837,  and  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Sallie  Cameron,  who  came 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  1843,  locating  in 
Kingston  township,  on  section  19,  where 
her  father  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  He  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1793,  and  died  in  1872,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1795,  and  died  in  1868,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years.  Thej-  were 
well-to-do  people,  and  highly  respected  for 
the  true  worth. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Harper  rented  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated 
for   two  years.      He    had    youth,    strength. 


ambition  and  pluck  on  his  side,  and  saw  the 
necessity  of  putting  his  entire  energies  on  a 
place  of  his  own.  He  therefore  purchased 
a  small  farm  of  eighty  acres  m  section  31, 
Kingston  township,  upon  which  he  built 
and  where  he  resided  for  six  years.  In 
1865  he  sold  that  farm  to  H.  P.  Grout,  and 
purchased  another  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  partialis'  improved  land,  and 
which  in  after  years  under  his  skillful  hands 
and  governing  mind  became  a  model  farm. 
He  was  always  practical  and  kept  abreast 
of  the  times.  In  1881,  on  account  of  fail- 
ing health,  he  retired  to  Kingston,  renting 
his  farm.  There  with  his  wife  he  lives  a 
peaceful  and  contented  life.  He  has  been 
honored  with  the  office  of  trustee  of  his 
town,  an  office  which  he  conscientiously 
filled. 


CHARLES  S.  HOLMES,  who  is  living 
retired  in  the  village  of  Shabbona, 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  in  1848.  He  is 
a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  Madison 
county,  July  14,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of 
Richard  Holmes,  a  native  of  Vermont,  born 
in  1 8 10,  and  the  grandson  of  Seth  Holmes, 
a  native  of  one  of  the  New  Enland  states. 
The  family  are  of  English  descent,  and 
were  early  sttlers  of  New  England.  Seth  Hol- 
mes moved  from  Vermont  to  New  York,  and 
became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Madison 
county.  Richard  Holmes,  his  son,  there 
grew  to  manhood  and  married  Lucretia 
Smith,  a  native  of  New  York,  born  near  the 
Hudson  river.  For  a  number  of  years,  he 
engaged  in  merchandising  at  Albany,  New 
York,  and  in  1848  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in 
Paw  Paw  township,  owing  some  five  or  six 
hundred    acres.      W'itii    his    sons    he    coin^ 


THli    l'.IO;;RAPH[CAi.    RECORD. 


169 


inenced  the  development  of  the  place,  and 
later  sold  a  portion,  leaving  the  home  farm 
to  consist  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
on  which  he  erected  good  substantial  bnild- 
ings,  and  spent  some  years  there.  His  last 
daj'S  were  spen,  at  the  home  of  his  sons,  in 
the  village  of  Shabbona.  He  died  in  March, 
1895,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  April,  1889,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.  Previous  to  his 
moving  to  Shabbona,  he  resided  some 
twenty  years  at  Leland.  By  his  fellow 
citizens  he  was  honored  with  various  town- 
ship ofifices.  including  road  commissioner 
and  supervisor.  Richard  and  Lucretia 
Holmes  were  the  parents  of  three  sons.  J. 
L.  is  a  retired  farmer,  residing  in  Paw  Paw 
township,  near  Rollo.  Charles  S.  is  the 
subject  of  this  review.  George  R.  is  a 
business  man  of  De  Kalb. 

Charles  S.  Holmes  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  with  his  parents,  when  a  lad  of 
eleven  years,  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  in  the  seminary  at  Paw 
Paw.  He  later  took  a  commercial 
course  at  L.  W.  Burnham's  Commercial 
College  at  Rockford,  Illinois.  He  then 
engaged  in  merchandising  at  Ross'  G.ove, 
two  years,  but  not  liking  the  business,  he 
sold  out  and  returned  to  the  farm.  Purchas- 
ing the  interest  of  the  other  heirs,  he 
succeeded  to  the  old  homestead,  to  which  he 
later  added  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
making  him  a  fine  and  verj-  productive  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In  addi- 
tion to  general  farming,  he  gave  some  atten- 
tion to  graded  stock,  and  had  some  fine 
driving  horses,  from  which  he  sold  two 
teams  one  day,  for  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  In  his  farming  operations  he  was 
quite  successful,  but  in  1883  he  rented  the 
farm,    moved    to    Shabbona,    purchased  an 


acre  of  ground,   built    a    residence    and   has 
since  lived  retired. 

Mr.  Holmes  was  married  in  State  Cen- 
ter, Iowa,  December  i  i,  1S73,  to  Miss  Ella 
Sherwood,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Shabbona,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
and  who  commenced  teaching  in  the  public 
schools  when  but  si.xteen  years  of  age,  and 
was  a  successful  teacher  in  De  Kalb  count)- 
for  five  years.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Solo- 
man  and  Martha  Sherwood,  natives  of  Ver- 
mont and  West  \'irginia  respectively.  Mr. 
Sheruood  came  with  his  fafnily  to  De  Kalb 
county,  March  1,  1852,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  near  the  village  of  Shabbona.  He 
met  his  death  by  accident  in  1858.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  reared  the  famil}' 
of  eight  children  that  grew  to  maturity, 
si.x  of  whom  are  living  at  the  present 
time.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes  three 
sons  have  been  born.  Charles  S.,  Jr.,  who 
is  a  well  educated  young  man,  is  now  taking 
a  course  at  the  Metropolitan  Business  Col- 
lege, Chicago.  Fred  W.  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Shabbona  schools,  and  is  also  taking  a 
course  at  the  Metropolitan  College,  and  has 
entered  the  Northwestern  University  of  Den- 
tistry, of  Chicago,  Illinois.  Clare  Richard  is  a 
student  of  the  Shabbona  schools,  and  is  resid- 
ingat  home.  They  lost  one  daughter,  Grace 
Ella,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  months. 

Politically  Mr.  Holmes  was  originally 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  giving 
his  support  to  the  "  little  giant,"  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  in  i860.  Later  he  became  a 
Republican,  with  which  parts  he  was  iden- 
tified for  some  years,  but  on  account  of  his 
stanch  temperance  principles  he  has  of  late 
voted  the  Prohibition  ticket.  He  never  de- 
sired nor  asked  for  office,  and  while  in  the 
country  never  served  in  an  official  capacity, 
but  since  his  remo\-al    to  the  village  he  has 


t7o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


served  on  the  village  board    two  terms,  one 
year  being  president  of  the  board. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes,  together  with 
their  two  3'oungest  sons,  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church  in  Shabbona,  in 
which  both  are  active  workers.  Both  were 
teachers  in  the  Sunday  school,  where  the}' 
have  been  inslrLimental  in  doing  much  good. 
The  latter  is  still  a  teacher.  For  many 
years  Mrs.  Holmes  has  had  charge  of  a  class 
of  adults,  made  up  mostly  of  the  j'oung  men 
of  the  place.  Her  class  book  shows  that 
she  has  had  seventy  different  pupils,  some 
who  have  been  actively  engaged  in  business. 
Her  iiiHuence  has  always  been  forgood.  In 
the  fifty  years  in  which  Mr.  Holmes  has 
been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb  county,  he  has 
done  his  share  in  making  it  rank  among  the 
best  counties  of  the  state.  His  teaching 
and  his  example  has  always  been  for  good. 


CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  \V.  FOSTER,  a 
resident  of  the  \illage  of  Kingston,  is 
a  native  of  Adams  county,  Ohio,  born  Jan- 
nary  17.  1828,  and  is  the  son  of  Moses  C. 
and  Anna  B.  (Robb)  Foster,  the  former  a 
native  of  Adams  county,  Ohio,  and  the 
latter  of  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  both 
born  about  1806.  He  lived  until  his  eighty- 
fourth  year,  while  his  wife  lived  to  see  her 
sevent)'-fourth  year.  Moses  C.  Foster  was 
the  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Rebecca  C.  Fos- 
ter, the  former  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who 
served  six  years  in  the  Revolutionary  army, 
and  who  finally  settled  in  Ohio,  where  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  Thomas  Robb, 
the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  the  father  of  a  pair  of  twins,  John 
and  Thomas,  who  fought  under  General 
Jackson  in   the    war   of    1812.      .\    younger 


son,  William,  was  sheriff  for  several  terms 
of  a  count)'  in  Indiana,  also  a  representative 
in  the  slate  legislature.  All  were  men  of 
great  influence  in  political  affairs  in  their 
respective  places  of  abode,  Thomas  Robb 
came  to  De  Kalb  county  in  1835,  locating  in 
Kingston  township  where  he  took  up  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  prairie  and  tim- 
ber land  in  section  22.  Politicall}'  he  was 
a  Democrat  and  a  man  of  influence  in  his 
party.  He  served  his  township  in  various 
offices  He  also  assisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  De  Kalb  county.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1844  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
James  K.  Polk,  once  president  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  was  a  cousin  of  Thomas  Robb. 

Moses  C.  Foster  was  a  potter  by  trade, 
and  an  expert  workman.  He  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Indiana,  and  there  resided  six 
years,  coming  from  that  state  to  Illinois  in 
1836,  locating  in  Kingston  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  on  section  26.  After  his  re- 
moval to  the  latter  place  he  confined  him- 
self principally  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  quite  active  in  politics,  and  was  well 
versed  in  the  political  issues,  of  the  day. 
Originally  he  was  a  strong  Henry  Clay 
Whig,  but  subsequently  became  a  Republic- 
an, with  which  party  he  was  identified  un- 
til his  death  in  1890.  By  his  fellow  citizens 
he  was  honored  with  several  of  the  princi- 
pal township  offices.  His  wife  died  in 
1868.  Their  family  consisted  of  nine  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and 
six  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Joseph  W.  Foster,  oiu'  subject,  was  but 
eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to 
Kingston  township.  He  was  there  reared 
upon  the  home  farm  and  after  receiving  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  followed 
the  vocation  of   a    farmer    until   1852,  when 


i 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


•7t 


he  went  to  Belvidere,  Boone  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  there  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  in  which  he  continued  for  seven 
years.  During  his  stay  at  Belvidere  he  be- 
came a  member  of  a  military  company 
known  as  the  Boone  Rifles.  In  1859  he  re- 
moved to  De  Kaib,  where  he  was  for  a 
time  engaged  in  the  grain  business.  In  1861 
he  assisted  in  organizing  a  company,  the 
services  of  which  were  offered  to  the  gen- 
eral government  and  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned first  lieutenant.  The  company 
was  assigned  to  the  Forty-second  Illinois 
\'olunteer,  Infantrv"  under  Colonel  D.  Stuart, 
and  became  known  as  Company  K.  With 
his  regiment  he  went  to  the  front  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Farmington,  Co- 
lumbia, Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  and  in 
the  latter  engagement  was  severely  wounded. 
September  20,  1863.  and  left  for  dead  on 
the  battlefield,  and  taken  prisoner  by  the 
enemy.  He  was  removed  from  one  prison 
to  another  and  was  finally  incarcerated  in 
Libby  prison,  where  he  originated  the 
scheme  of  tunneling  the  prison  The 
scheme  was  carried  out  and  one  hundred 
and  nine  men  escaped,  but  it  was  discovered 
before  his  turn  came.  He  was  thus  doomed 
to  be  a  prisoner  u.itil  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  as  cap- 
tain, May  15,  1865,  after  spending  seven- 
teen months  and  eleven  days  in  prison. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life  Captain  Foster 
settled  in  Kingston  township,  where  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  until  1892. 
when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Kingston 
where  he  now  resides.  On  June  19,  1849, 
he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss-  Alidah 
Baringer,  born  at  Sand  Lake,  Genesee  coun- 
ty, New  York,  .\ugust  30,  183 1,  and  a 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Mary  Ann  Baringer. 
Bv  this  union  four  children  were  born,  three 


of  whom  are  now  living;  John  \V. ,  Charles 
M.  and  Thomas  P.  The  first  two  are  farm- 
ers, while  the  latter  is  a  skillful  mechanic. 
Captain  Foster  is  a  popular  m^n  in  his 
town  and  is  thoroughly  alive  to  all  its  inter- 
ests. As  an  appreciation  of  his  willingness 
to  serve  well  they  have  elected  him  assessor 
for  fourteen  years.  ■  He  has  also  been  pres- 
ident of  the  board  of  trustees  for  one  term. 
Under  President  Hayes'  administration  he 
was  appointed  assistant  UnFted  States  mar- 
shal, and  took  the  census  of  seven  town- 
ships in  De  Kalb  county.  His  army  record 
is  good  —  none  better  —  and  when  found 
wounded  on  the  battlefield  of  Chickamauga 
no  man  was  nearer  the  enemy's  lines.  .\s 
a  reward  for  his  bravery  and  injuries  re- 
ceived the  government  pajs  him  a  pension. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  has  bean  commander  of  the 
post  at  Kingston.  He  and  his  wiie  are  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  for  four  vears  at  Charter  Oak. 


ALFRED  BRADBURY  is  a  retired  mer- 
chant residing  in  Waterman,  Illinois. 
He  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in  the  county 
of  Middlesex,  near  London,  September  27, 
1S22,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
fWetherly)  Bradbury,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Middlesex  county,  the  former  liv- 
ing to  the  remarkable  age  of  ninety-two 
years,  the  latter  d\ing  when  seventy-eight 
years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Charles,  deceased;  Alfred,  our  sub- 
ject; Frances,  who  married  a  Mr.  Honn- 
densden,  and  is  now  a  widow  residing  in 
London;  Ambrose,  deceased;  and  Mrs.  Sarah 
Whitehead,  residing  in  London.  Mrs.  Brad- 
bury, the   mother  of  the.se  children,  was  a 


172 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


daughter  of  William  Such,  of  London,  a 
traveling  man,  who  married  Ann  Blake,  also 
a  native  of  England.  Mrs.  Bradbury  was 
also  born  in  the  city  of  London. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  county,  and  in  his  youth 
learned  the  carriage  and  wagon  maker's 
trade,  but  later  worked  at  railroad  carriage 
building  in  the  city  of  London,  for  about 
eight  years,  being  in  the  employ  of  the  Lon- 
don &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company. 
He  was  married  in  London,  July  15,  WS47. 
to  Elizabeth  Such,  a  native  of  I^ondon, 
England.  In  i  855,  with  his  family,  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  taking  passage  on  a 
sailing  vessel  and  being  five  weeks  on  the 
Atlantic  ocean.  He  arrived  in  New  York 
May  22,  and  came  directly  west  to  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  joined  his  brother 
Charles  and  located  in  S(]uaw  Grove  town- 
ship in  1S51. 

On  his  arrival  in  l)e  Kalb  c;onnty,  Mr. 
Bradbury  purchased  a  lot  at  Freeland  Cor- 
ners, built  a  shop  and  went  to  work  at 
wagon  making  and  blacksmithing,  and  also 
doing  general  repair  work  and  continued  in 
that  business  for  seven  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  small  grocery  store  at  the  corner  and 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  that  place 
for  several  years.  When  the  railroad  was 
built  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  commence 
business  in  the  village  of  Waterman,  and 
the  very  first  one  to  engage  exclusively  in 
the  grocerv  business.  For  twenty  years  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  that  business  at 
Waterm.an,  when  he  sold  out  to  his  son,  and 
has  since  been  living  a  retired  life.  Mr. 
Bradbury  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Free- 
land,  November  3,  1863,  and  served  there 
until  his  removal  to  Waterman.  Shortly 
after  removing  to  the  latter  place,  he  was 
again  appointed  postmaster  and  served  until 


Cleveland  was  elected  president  in  1  S84,  a 
period  in  all  of  twenty-three  years.  He  has 
also  served  in  other  positions  of  trust  and 
honor,  serving  as  township  treasurer  some 
six  or  eight  years,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
village  board  several  years.  Since  becoming 
a  naturalized  citizen,  he  has  been  a  stanch 
Republican,  not  only  advocating  the  prin- 
ciples of  th(>  party,  hut  voting  the  party 
ticket. 

.Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradbury  have  four  chil- 
dren. Charles,  who  is  a  traveling  sales- 
man, makes  his  home  in  Hartford  City, 
Indiana.  Frances  .Ann  is  the  wife  of  Au- 
gust A.  Stryker,  a  farmer  of  DeKalb  coun- 
ty. Harry  is  now  postmaster  of  Waterman. 
Georgetta  resides  at  home  and  assists  her 
brother  in  the  postoffice.  They  lost  three 
children — Ambrose,  who  died  when  about 
twelve  years  old;  William,  who  died  when 
five  years  old;  and  Emily,  who  died  when 
twelve  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradbury 
were  reared  in  the  Episcopal  faith.  They 
have  in  their  possession  a  bible  that  has 
been  in  the  family  for  over  two  hundred  and 
forty  years.  It  was  published  in  London, 
in  1637.  They  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding, July  15,  1897,  when  their  children  and 
grandchildren  came  to  their  home,  making 
their  hearts  glad  by  their  presents  and  tok- 
ens of  love  and  esteem.  For  forty-three 
years  they  have  resided  in  De  Kalb  county, 
and  are  well  known,  especially  in  the  cen- 
tral part,  and  those  who  know  them  best 
have  for  them  the  highest  regard. 


GENERAL  F.  W.  PARTRIDGE,  one 
of  De  Ralb  county's  most  distin- 
guished citizens,  now  residing  in  the  city  of 
Sycamore,  comes  of  fighting  stock.  His 
great-grandfather,     Captain     Sanniel     Part- 


GEN.   F.  W.   PARTRIDGE. 

Aged  63  Years. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


■7S 


ridge,  served  in  the  colonial  wars,  while 
his  grandfather.  Captain  Isaac  Partridge, 
was  in  the  Revolutionar)'  war,  and  his 
father,  Captain  Cyrus  Partridge,  in  the  war 
of  1812.  A  cousin.  Captain  Alden  Par- 
tridge, was  at  one  time  superintendent  at 
West  Point,  and  later  establislied  a  iiiili- 
tarj'  school  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  in 
which   our    subject  was    military  instructor. 

Captain  Cyrus  Partridge,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Norwich,  \'er- 
mont,  July  11.  1786,  and  there  spent  his 
entire  life,  dying  Jul}-  16,  1842.  He  was  a 
very  prominent  man  in  his  native  city  and 
county,  and  for  almost  forty  years  was  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business,  and  for  a 
like  period  was  postmaster.  In  addition  to 
his  mercantile  business,  he  owned  large 
sheep  farms  and  was  extensively  engaged 
in  farming.  For  fifteen  or  twenty  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and 
was  high  sheriff  of  the  county  for  several 
terms.  He  was  seldom  or  never  out  of 
one  or  more  official  positions,  and  could 
have  had  any  office  for  the  asking.  A  life- 
long member  of  the  Congregational  church, 
he  was  active  in  the  work  of  that  bod}'. 
During  the  war  of  181 2,  he  served  as  a 
captain  of  a  company,  and  was  with  Scott 
at  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane.  A  self-ed- 
ucated man,  he  had  an  unusually  good 
memory,  keen  perceptive  faculties,  and  was 
an   omniverous  reader. 

Captain  Cyrus  Partridge  was  united  in 
marriage  December  10,  1806,  with  Miss 
Mary  Loveland,  a  native  of  Norwich,  Ver- 
mont, born  November  3,  1786,  and  who 
died  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  January 
24,  1866.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
Loveland,  a  native  of  Glastonburj',  Con- 
necticut,   born    .\pril     14,     1747,    and    who 

died    in    Norwich,    \'trmont,  September    8, 
9 


(813.  At  Colchester,  Connecticut,  No- 
vember 12,  1773,  he  married  Mercy  Bige- 
low,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Mercy  (Lewis) 
Bigelow.  In  1776  he  moved  from  VVeath- 
ersfield,  Connecticut,  to  Hanover,  New 
Hampshire,  and  during  the  Re\olutionary 
war,  served  in  Colonel  |onathan  Chase's 
regiment,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Ticon- 
deroga.  David  Bigelow  was  the  son  of 
John  Bigelow,  Jr.,  whnse  father  was  John 
Bigelow,  Sr. ,  the  son  of  Thomas  Bigelow, 
who  was  an  immigrant  tu  this  country. 
The  Lovelands  were  early  settlers  of  this 
country.  A  widow  Loveland,  with  her 
three  sons,  settled  at  Glastonbur\'  and 
Weathersfield,  Connecticut,  and  bought  In- 
dian land  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  One 
of  these  brothers,  Elisha,  was  the  ancestor 
of  our  subject.  He  married  Lucy  Sparks, 
and  served  four  years  in  tlie  Revolutionary 
army. 

Frederick  W.  Partridge,  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Norwich, 
\'ern".ont,  August  19,  1824.  After  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  he  studied  at  the 
American  Literary,  Scientific  and  Military 
Academy  at  Norwich,  Vermont.  He  then  en- 
tered Dartmouth  College  at  Hanover,  New- 
Hampshire,  which  was  only  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  across  the  river  from  his  place  of 
residence,  leaving  at  the  close  of  the  fresh- 
man year  on  account  of  the  death  of  his 
father.  In  1845,  a  few  years  after  his  fa- 
ther's death,  he  went  to  Pennsylvania  and 
took  charge  of  the  Harrisburg  Military  Col- 
lege, which  was  established  by  his  distin- 
guished cousin.  He  proved  to  be  a  pro- 
ficient teacher  in  military  as  well  as  classi- 
cal branches. 

In  January,  1847,  Mr.  Partridge  enlisted 
in  the  United  States  army  and  was  en- 
trusted with  a  secret  mission  to    Mexico   by 


176 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


President  James  K.  Polk,  with  instructions 
to  see  how  operations  were  l^ein^;  conducteri 
at  the  front,  reportinj^  to  the  Secretary  of 
War.  -  Being  a  secret  mission  he  could  not 
have  credentials,  and  when  captured  as  a 
spy  he  could  not  divulj^e  the  object  of  his 
mission.  He  was  imprisoned  at  San  Juan 
D'UlIoa,  where  his  cousin,  Henry  S.  Bur- 
ton, lieutenant  of  First  Artillery,  was  in 
command.  He  was  later  a  general  in  the 
Civil  war  and  commanded  at  I'ortress  Mon- 
loe  at  the  time  Jefferson  Davis  was  a  pris- 
oner there.  Mr.  Partridge  was  soon  re^ 
leased  and  returned  to  Washington,  the 
object  of  his  mission  not  accomplished. 

After  the  Mexican  war  Mr.  Partridge 
came  to  Illinois  and  located  on  a  farm  in 
Kendall  county,  where  he  made  his  home 
some  seven  or  eight  jears.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  Albany, 
New  York,  with  Chancellor  Kent,  and  after- 
ward read  in  the  oflice  of  Franklin  Pierce, 
of  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  later  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  On  coming  to 
Illinois  he  continued  his  studies  and  finished 
under  the  tutelage  of  Hon.  Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
of  Chicago.  On  admission  to  the  bar  he 
began  practice  in  Sandwich,  Illinois,  to 
which  city  he  removed  about  1857.  He 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  politics 
and  was  originally  a  Democrat,  but  left  that 
organization  on  the  birth  of  the  Republican 
party.  During  the  famous  debates  of  Doug- 
las and  Lincoln  he  attended  many  of  their 
meetings  and  once  entertained  both  of  them 
at  his  home  at  the  same  time.  He  told 
Douglas  franklv  that  he  could  not  support 
his  latest  principles,  and  stumped  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  state  for  Lincoln. 

In  1849,  while  still  a  resident  of  Kendall 
county,  he  was  in  command  of  a  company 
of  militia.      At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 


he  was  (MMnmissioned  by  ('io\ernor  Yates 
captain  of  Company  F,  Thirteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  to  take  rank  as  the  sen- 
ior captain  of  the  state  of  Illinois  and 
served  with  distinction  for  three  years.  He 
was  rapidly  promoted,  being  commissioned 
as  major  of  his  regiment,  in  June,  1  S6 1 . 
In  December,  iS6j,  he  was  promoted  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and  lime  rS,  1.S64,  colonel, 
for  gallant  service  at  Lookout  Mountain, 
and  after  the  battle  of  Ringgold  (iap  was 
breveted  brigadii.'r-general  for  distinguished 
bravery  at  Missionary  Ridge.  At  Chickasaw 
B.iyon,  Mississippi,  he  was  wounded  and 
again  at  Chattanooga,  and  also  at  Ringgold 
Gap,  Georgia.  With  his  regiment  he  was 
mustered  out  of  service  July  18,   1864. 

.^fter  his  discharge.  General  Partridge 
resumed  the  practice  of  law  at  Sandwich, 
Illinois,  and  also  for  some  years  had  an 
office  at  52  Lake  street,  Chicago.  He 
served  as  postmaster  of  Sandwich  for  sev- 
eral years  and  was  occupying  that  official 
position  when  elected  clerk  of  the  circuit 
court  of  De  Kalb  county,  at  which  time  he 
removed  to  Sycamore,  Illinois.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  office,  he  was  ap^ 
pointed  in  the  spring  of  1869,  by  President 
U.  S.  Grant,  as  United  States  consul  gen- 
eral to  Bangkok,  Siam,  serving  eight  years. 
During  his  incumbency,  he  traveled  much, 
made  copious  notes  and  at  retirement  wrote 
a  voluminous  account  of  his  travels,  exper- 
iences and  observations  in  Siam,  the  manu- 
script unfortunately  being  lost  in  the  de- 
struction of  his  residence  by  fire. 

On  one  of  his  excursions  he  saved  the 
life  of  a  young  man,  by  shooting  his  mur- 
derous pursuers.  It  chanced  to  be  the  son 
of  the  King  of  Siam  that  he  saved,  and 
the  King  became  his  fast  friend,  sending 
him  many    presents    and  offering  him   gold 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


medals,  etc.,  which  owing  to  his  official  po- 
sition, had  at  that  time  to  be  refused,  but 
when  offered  later,  after  his  term  of  office 
had  expired,  w  ere  accepted  and  are  treasured 
relics  of  his  life  in  Asia. 

At  one  time  King  of  Chiengmai,  of  one 
of  tiie  tribes  of  Siam,  became  hostile  to 
Christians,  killing  native  converts  and  send- 
ing the  missionaries  from  the  country. 
General  Partridge  insisted  of  the  King  of 
Siam  that  the  persecutions  of  his  tributary 
prince  should  cease,  under  threat  of  the 
United  States  recognizing  the  letter's  in- 
dependence. A  treaty  was  then  signed, 
granting  greater  freedom  than  ever  to 
Christian  missionaries.  The  consul's  firm 
stand  and  successful  fight  for  religious  free- 
dom gained  for  the  United  States  more  re- 
spect than  had  ever  been  known  before  in 
southern  Asia. 

During  histravelsGeneral  Partridge  visit- 
ed many  places  of  unusual  interest,  but  none 
greater  than  the  famous  temple,  Xakon-Wat, 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  On  lay- 
ing down  the  cares  of  office  in  July,  1876, 
he  returned  home  b\'  way  of  Singapore  and 
the  Sue/  canal,  traveled  over  Europe  and 
reached  home  in  October,  very  tired  from 
travel  and  sightseeing.  After  a  few  years  of 
private  life,  in  1882,  the  General  was  again 
called  to  official  duties,  being  appointed 
special  examiner  of  pensions,  with  head- 
quarters at  Rushville,  Indiana,  and  Tiffin, 
Ohio.  He  resigned  in  1889,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  living  a  retired  life. 

In  1852,  General  Partridge  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar}'  Pauline,  a  na- 
ti\e  of  East  Aurora,  Erie  county.  New 
York,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  only 
one,  Frederick  P.,  now  living.  His  daugh- 
ter, Blanche,  who  was  a  graduate  of  Elmira 
College.  New  York,  died  February  22,  1898. 


She  was  a  great  help  to  her  father,  attend- 
ing to  his  manuscript  and  correspondence. 
She  had  fine  talents  as  a  painter,  many 
samples  of  her  work  being  treasured  by  our 
subject.  Mrs.  Partridge  died  September 
20,   1882. 

General  Partridge  has  his  house  filled 
with  curios  and  relics  from  several  conti- 
nents. His  recollections  of  General  Grant 
are  very  pleasant.  While  on  his  special 
mission  during  the  Mexican  war,  at  \'era 
Cruz,  he  first  met  the  General,  and  there 
dined  with  him.  Later  he  was  instrumental 
in  securing  the  commission  lor  Grant  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  when  his  ap- 
pointment hung  in  the  balance.  Grant 
remembered  his  face  and  recalled  meeting 
him  at  \'eraCruz.  When  elected  president, 
he  did  not  forget  his  friend  General  Part- 
ridge. 


HON.  HENRY  M.  BOARD.MAN.  of 
Shabbona,  Illinois,  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising and  representative  farmers  and 
business  men  of  De  Kalb  county,  owning 
and  operating  two  well  improved  farms  in 
Paw  Paw  township.  His  settlement  in 
Illinois  dates  from  the  fall  of  1854  and  in 
De  Kalb  county  since  1856.  He  is  a  native 
of  the  Green  Mountain  state,  born  in  Rut- 
land county,  December  12,  1831,  and  is  the 
son  of  Captain  Charles  G.  Boardman,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  county  and  state,  and  the 
grandson  of  Timothy  Boardman,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  who  served  on  board  a  man- 
of  war  during  the  Revolution.  By  trade  he 
was  a  ship  carpenter.  The  Boardman 
familx  are  of  English  descent,  the  first  of 
the  name  coming  to  this  country  locating 
near  Hartford.  Connecticut. 

Captain   Charles    G.  Boardman,  the   fa- 


i78 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ther  of  our  subject,  gained  his  title  by  serv- 
ice in  the  militia  of  Vermont.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  his  nati\e  state,  to  Submit  W'atkius, 
also  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  daughter  of 
Colonel  Watkins,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  one  of  the  prominent  men 
of  Rutland,  Vermont.  In  his  native  state 
Captain  Boardman  spent  his  entire  lite.  He 
was  a  man  highly  honored  and  respected  b)' 
all  who  knew   him, 

Henry  M.  lioardman,  our  subject,  grew 
to  manhood  in  \'ermont,  and  had  good 
common-school  advantages,  supplemented 
by  one  term  in  a  select  school  at  Manches- 
ter, Vermont.  After  his  education  was 
completed,  he  was  a  teacher  for  two  winter 
terms  in  his  native  state.  In  the  fall  of 
1854  he  came  t(j  Illinois,  and  stopped  for  a 
time  at  Joliet,  where  he  joined  a  sister, 
then  residing  there.  For  some  fifteen 
months  he  traveled  through  the  northern 
part  of  Illinois,  and  in  the  spring  of  1856 
came  to  Ue  Kalb  county,  and  purchased 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  partially 
improved  land  in  Paw  Paw  township,  upon 
which  a  small  house  had  been  erected.  Re- 
turning to  Vermont  on  the  6th  of  February, 
1856,  in  the  city  of  Rutland,  he  married 
Miss  Caroline  Chatterton,  a  native  of  that 
state,  reared  and  educated  at  Rutland,  and 
the  daughter  of  Deacon  Waite  Chatterton, 
who  was  of  an  old  Vermont  family.  Im- 
mediately after  marriage,  he  returned  with 
his  bride  and  they  at  once  began  their 
domestic  life  on  the  farm  which  was  their 
home  for  many  years  after.  He  later  bought 
forty  acres  adjoining,  and  still  later  si.xty 
acres  more,  making  a  fine  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres.  This  farm  he  im- 
proved in  a  most  substantial  manner,  mak- 
ing of  it  one  of  the  best  in  the  township. 
As    his  means    increased,  he  purchased  an- 


other farm  in  the  same  township,  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-four  acres,  which  is  also 
a  well  improved  place.  14e  now  owns  four 
hundred  and  thirty-four  acres  in  Paw  Paw 
township.  After  nearly  thirty  years  of  hard 
labor  upon  the  farm,  Mr.  Boardman  moved 
to  the  village  of  Shabbona  in  the  spring  of 
1885,  and  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  In 
addition  to  his  farms  in  Paw  Paw  township, 
he  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  imjMoved 
land  in  Pocahontas  county,  Iowa,  near 
Pomero}'  Station. 

Mrs.  Boardman  died  in  1.S66,  leaving 
one  daughter,  F"rances,  now  the  wife  of 
George  Hyde,  of  Paw  Paw.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife,  November  18,  1868,  Mr.  Board- 
man  married  Miss  Christiana  Powers,  a  na- 
tive of  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  a 
daughter  of  Norman  H.  Powers,  who  was 
an  earl)'  settler  of  De  Kalb  county,  where 
the  early  life  of  Mrs.  Boardman  was  spent, 
but  who  was  then  residing  in  La  Salle 
count}-.  Mrs.  Boardman,  after  attending 
the  public  schools  of  De  Kalb  and  La  Salle 
counties,  co.npleted  her  education  in  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Normal,  Illinois. 
By  this  union  there  are  four  children.  Ellen 
is  a  young  lady  residing  at  home.  After 
attending  the  schools  of  Shabbona,  she 
spent  two  vears  at  school  in  Ann  Arbor, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  successful  teachers 
of  De  Kalb  county.  Norman  H.  and  Cath- 
erine S.  are  twins,  and,  after  graduating  at 
the  High  School  of  Shabbona,  are  now  at- 
tending school  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan. 
Charles  W. ,  after  completing  the  course  at 
the  High  School  at  Shabbona,  engaged  in 
farm  work,  and  is  assisting  in  carrying  on 
the  home  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  and  family  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  at 
Shabbona.     Both  parents  are  active  workers 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


"79 


in  the  church  and  Sunday  school,  Mr. 
Boardman  being  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
church  and  teacher  of  the  Bible  class,  hav- 
ing had  charge  of  the  Bible  class  since 
his  removal  to  the  village.  Politically  he 
is  a  lifelong  Republican,  and  in  1856 
cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  John 
C.  Fremont,  the  first  presidential  nominee 
of  the  party.  He  has  alwa3's  taken  an 
active  part  in  local  politics,  and  served 
as  assessor  of  his  township  for  eight  j'ears, 
and  as  supervisor  for  five  years,  serving 
as  chairman  of  some  of  the  most  import- 
committees  of  the  board.  In  1882  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and 
served  one  term.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
agricultural  and  other  committees.  He  has 
been  a  steadfast  friend  of  education  and  the 
public  schools,  and  served  some  years  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  while  in  the 
country,  and  since  his  removal  to  the  village 
has  continued  such  service,  being  one  year 
president  of  the  board.  He  has  always  made 
an  efficient  officer  in  whate\er  position  he 
has  been  asked  to  fill. 

Mr.  Boardman  commenced  life  in  Illi- 
nois in  very  limited  circumstances,  but  he 
was  industrious  and  methodical,  and,  toil- 
ing earl}'  and  late,  he  has  secured  a  compe- 
tence that  enables  him  to  live  in  ease  and 
retirement  during  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
His  long  residence  in  this  section  of  the 
state  has  brought  him  in  contact  with  man\' 
people,  and  wherever  and  bv  whoever 
known  he  is  held  in  the  highest  respect. 


REV.  MAGNUS  FRYKMAN,  pastor  of 
the  Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Salem  church,  Sycamore,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  Sweden,  province  of  Wermland,  parish  of 
Sunne,  October  3,   1844.      He  is  the  son  of 


Lars  and  Chiistina  (Olson)  Frykman,  both 
natives  of  the  same  province  and  country. 
The  family  were  old  residents  of  that  town. 
By  occupation  the  father  was  a  farmer  and 
for  years  was  in  the  public  service,  con- 
nected with  the  courts.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  have  been  deceased  for  man}-  years. 
The  Olson  family  were  also  agriculturalists, 
and  all  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  Lars  and  Christina  Frykman  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children:  Olof,  Carrie, 
Mary.  Christina,  Cajsa.  John,  Nels,  Mag- 
nus, and  Catherine.  The  four  oldest  are 
deceased,  while  the  living  all  reside  in  this 
country,  except  Cajsa.  John  and  Nels  are 
living  in  Minnesota.  Catherine  married 
Joseph  Lind  and  is  living  in  Sj'camore. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  par- 
tially educated  in  Sweden.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1S73,  and  entered  the  seminary 
at  Paxton,  Illinois,  the  institution  being 
shortly  afterwards  removed  to  Rock  Island, 
and  is  now  known  as  the  Augustana  College. 
He  was  graduated  there  in  1875,  and  on 
June  27,  of  that  year,  at  \'asa,  Minnesota, 
was  ordained  to  the  ministery.  His  first 
charge  was  at  Chariton,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained five  years.  From  there  he  wei  t  to 
Marinette,  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
three  \ears.  His  ne.xt  move  was  to  Repub- 
lic, Michigan,  and  after  remaining  there  for 
about  three  years,  he  came  to  Sycamore, 
and  took  charge  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
church,  December  22,  1883. 

Since  coming  to  Sycamore  Mr.  Fryk- 
man has  largely  increased  the  membership. 
On  taking  charge  of  the  chuich  there  were 
about  three  hundred  communicants,  and  it 
now  numbers  over  five  hundred,  with  a 
membership  of  about  eight  hundred.  In 
the  summer  of  iSgGhe  began  the  erection  of 
the  new  cluircii  edifice,  and  it  was  dedicated 


i8o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


February  28,  1897,  at  a  cost  of  over  sixteen 
thousand  dollars.  It  is  located  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Somanauk  and  Charles  streets,  and  is 
one  of  the  finest  church  biiildinf^s  in  the 
city,  being  constructed  entirely  of  stone.  At 
the  dedication  services  they  seated  about 
one  thousand  persons,  although  the  building 
was  not  intended  to  seat  but  about  five  hun- 
dred. The  congregation  was  organized 
April  4,  1870.  by  Rev.  A.  Hull,  of  De  Kalb. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  N.  Nordgren, 
who  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  S.  G. 
Larson,  who  was  the  first  to  locate  perma- 
nently in  Sycauiore.  He  was  succeeded  b}' 
Mr.  Frykrnan,  who  is  yet  in  charge  of  the 
church.  They  have  a  Sunday  school  of 
about  one  hundred  members,  and  Mr.  Fryk- 
man  conducts  one  in  the  country  at  the  Lin- 
dahl  schoolhousi,  of  about  forty  scholars 
which  he  visits  occasionally. 

Mr.  Frykrnan  was  united  in  marriage 
December  4,  1S84,  at  Marinette,  Wiscon- 
sin, to  Amanda  Odea,  daughter  of  Emanuel 
and  Gustave  (Anderson)  Olson.  Her  parents 
were  from  Sweden,  where  Mrs.  Frykman  was 
born,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1873.  They  are  yet  living  at  Marinette,  Wis- 
consin. To.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frykman  seven 
children  have  been  born-Reuben  Eman- 
uel, Victor  Laurentius,  Conrad  Theoph- 
ilus,  Ruth  Gustava  Christina.  Elmer  Augus- 
tinues,  Hildur  Amanda  Catherina  and  Carl 
Magnus.  Of  these,  Reuben  and  Ruth  are 
deceased. 

When  in  Chariton,  Iowa,  Mr.  Frykman 
was  a  member  of  the  Iowa  conTerence,  and 
served  as  secretary  of  the  same  for  two 
years.  He  served  as  secretary  of  the  Illi- 
nois conference  three  years,  and  in  1894  he 
was  elected  vice-president  of  the  conference 
and  on  the  president  movmg  outside  its 
jurisdiction    he    took    charge    as    president, 


serving  out  the  term,  and  was  then  elected 
president,  and  has  been  re-elected  every 
year  since  that  time.  This  conference  em- 
braces Illinois,  Indiana,  Michigan  and  the 
greater  part  of  Wisconsin.  I'olitically  Mr. 
Fr_\kman  is  a  Kcjiublican,  but  is  not  a  parti- 
san. He  is  an  earnest  ami  indefatigable 
worker  in  cluirch  matters,  is  an  able  minis- 
ter and  popular  among  his  people  and  also 
with  the  comniuiiity.  Much  credit  is  due 
him  in  the  building  up  of  so  large  a  congrega 
tion  and  the  erection  of  such  a  fine  church 
edifice. 


JOHN  JOHNSON,  a  veteran  of  the  war 
for  the  Lnionand  a  retired  farmer,  now 
resides  in  a  beautiful  home  in  the  village  of 
Malta.  He  was  born  in  Sweden,  March  21, 
1820,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Nellie 
[ohnson,  both  natives  of  the  same  country, 
where  they  hied  and  died.  In  his  native 
land  our  subject  grew  to  manhood,  and  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education. 
He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1854.  arriv- 
ing in  New  York,  August  11,  where  he  re- 
mained three  months,  because  of  cholera 
being  prevalent  in  Chicago  at  that  time.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  Illiuois,  and  located  in  the  city  of 
De  Kalb,  where  he  worked  for  the  Nortii- 
western  Railway  Company  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war.  In  August,  1862, 
his  patriotism  was  so  aroused  as  to  cause 
him  to  offer  his  services  to  his  adopted 
country,  and  he  was  enrolled  as  a  member 
of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Filth  Illi- 
nois \  olunteer  Infantry,  for  three  years, 
unless  sooner  discharged.  He  served  under 
Captain  Austin  and  Colonel  Dustin,  was  with 
Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  was 
in    all    the  important   engagements  of   that 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


i8i 


memorable  campaign.  After  serving;'  faith- 
fully until  the  end  of  the  war,  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  also  participated  in  the  celebrated  grand 
review  at  \\ashington  city. 

Returning  to  De  Kalb  Mr.  Johnson  was 
again  employed  by  the  Northwestern  Rail- 
way Company,  in  whose  emplo\'  he  remain- 
ed ten  years,  during  which  time  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  he  im- 
proved as  the  opportunity  was  afforded  him. 
In  1875  he  removed  to  the  farm,  and  con- 
tinued to  add  to  his  other  improvements  by 
fencing,  tiling  and  building.  On  this  farm 
he  toiled  for  twenty  years,  confining  himself 
to  no  special  line,  but  engaged  in  general 
farming.  In  1896  he  purchased  four  lots  in 
Malta,  erected  a  beautiful  house,  into  which 
he  moved  with,  his  family,  and  is  now  living 
a  retired  life,  while  his  son,  C.  O.,  is  work- 
ing the  farm  in  Malta  township. 

In  1 866,  Mr.  Johnson  married  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Johnson,  widow  of  Ale.xander  Johnson, 
and  a  native  of  Norway,  born  October  3, 
1840,  and  who,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
came  with  her  parents  to  this  country,  the 
family  moving  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
where  her  father  died  in  March,  1855,  her 
mother  long  surviving  him,  dying  October  8, 
1890.  By  her  former  husband,  Mrs.  John- 
son had  one  child,  which  died  soon  after 
her  marriage  with  her  present  husband. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  sons,  C.  O., 
Louis,  Frank  A.  and  Amos.  The  son  Louis 
has  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  in 
Milan   township,  on  which    he   now  resides. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  were  married  by 
a  Lutheran  minister  at  Chicago.  From  the 
general  government  he  receives  a  small 
pension  for  his  faithfulness  to  his  adopted 
countr\'  in  her  davs  of  need. 


^  X  7'  MOTT  COBLE  resides  on  section 
V  V  19,  Paw  Paw  township,  where  he 
has  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  \aluable  land.  He  was  born  in 
Lee  county,  Illinois,  January  14,  1847,  and 
is  the  son  of  Timothy  Coble,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  Luzerne  county,  in 
1808.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Ezekiel 
Goble,  was  a  pioneer  of  that  county,  and 
there  Timothy  grew  to  manhood  and  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Ayers, a  native  of  the  count)', 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated.  By 
trade  Timothy  Goble  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  which  occupation  he  followed  in  his 
native  state.  In  1843,  he  came  to  Illinois, 
and  located  in  Lee  county,  in  the  same  school 
district  where  the  son  now  resides.  Entering 
eighty  acres  of  land,  he  at  once  commenced 
to  open  up  a  farm,  and  later  entered  fifty 
acres  more,  giving  him  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres,  on  which  he  resided 
a  number  of  years,  then  sold  and  purchased 
a  farm  in  Paw  Paw  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, on  which  the  last  years  of  his  life  were 
spent.  His  wife  survives  him  and  is  yet  in 
the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  Their  fam- 
ily consisted  of  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. Esther  married  John  Brown,  but  is 
now  deceased.  Orella  married  Jacob  Rad- 
ley,  and  they  reside  at  Earl,  Illinois,  .\yres 
resides  at  Ayres.  Nebraska,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  grain  business.  W.  Mott  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  E.  T.  is  a  phy- 
sician residing  in  Earl,  Illinois.  Mary  is 
the  wife  of  Augustus  Ricker.  of  Paw  Paw, 
Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  the  vicinity  of  his  present  residence, 
spending  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  labor 
upon  the  farm, and  in  attending  the  common 
schools.  He  enlisted  October  8, 1 864,  when 
seventeen  vcars  old,  becoming  a  member  of 


I»2 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Company  D,  Thirty-fourth  Illiuais  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  jonnnp  the  regiment  at 
Goldsboro,  North  Carolina,  and  serving 
with  it  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  on 
detached  duty  and  was  in  several  battles  be- 
fore joining  the  regiment,  among  which  was 
the  battle  of  Nashville,  and  the  skirmish  at 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  When  he  joined  the 
regiment  at  Goldsboro  it  was  with  Sherman 
in  his  last  campaign.  iMoni  that  place  it 
continued  on  to  Washington,  and  was  in 
the  grand  review.  Our  subject  was  dis- 
charged in  Louisville,  and  mustered  out  in 
Chicago,  July  17.  1865. 

Returning  to  his  home,  Mr.  Goble  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  and  assisted 
his  father  until  he  arrived  at  mature  years. 
He  then  bought  a  farm  in  Wyoming  town- 
ship, Lee  county,  a  place  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres,  on  which  he  settled  and 
there  resided  for  several  years.  During 
that  time  he  purchaseii  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides,  and  owned  other  land  in  addi- 
tion. He  located  on  his  present  larm  in 
1883,  since  which  time  he  iiasbeen  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  feedmg  stock.  He 
has  on  the  place  an  average  of  one  huniired 
head  of  cattle  and  about  three  hundred 
hogs,  being  one  of  the  largest  feeders  and 
shippers  in  the  western  part  of  De  Kalb 
county,  shipping  annually  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen cars  of  stock. 

Mr.  Goble  was  married  in  Lee  county, 
Illinois,  December  25,  1868,  to  Miss  Susan 
Robinson,  a  native  of  Lee  county,  and  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  K.  Robinson,  an 
early  settler  of  Lee  county,  hut  who  later 
removed  to  California.  By  this  union 
there  has  been  eight  children.  Benjamin 
Fred  is  now  a  member  of  the  First  Illinois 
Cavalry,  under  General  Ward,  and  in  the 
summer  of    1898  was   stationed   at    Chicka- 


mauga  awaiting  orders  to  go  toC'iba,  Lil- 
lian is  a  young  lady  of  good  education.  Inn- 
ing attended  the  schools  at  Paw  Paw  and 
the  college  at  Dixon,  Illinois.  She  is  now. 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Lee  coun- 
ts'. \'io!a  is  a  student  in  the  Paw  Paw 
schools.  Bertha  is  also  a  student  of  the 
Paw  Paw  schools.  Clifford,  j.  Ward,  Elsie 
and  Glenn  are  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Cioble  is  a  Republican, 
his  first  presidential  vote  being  cast  in  1868 
for  General  Cirant.  He  is  now  servmg  his 
third  term  as  commissioner  of  highways, 
and  his  second  term  as  treasurer  of  the 
board.  For  eighteen  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  thus  showing 
his  interest  in  popular  education.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  Paw  Paw  Lodge,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  and  has  passed  through  all  the 
chairs  and  served  eight  years  as  lodge  dep- 
uty. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  encamp- 
ment of  that  order,  being  past  chief  patri- 
arch of  the  camp  at  Paw  Paw.  His  inter- 
est in  military  affairs  is  show  11  li\'  his  mem- 
bership in  William  H.  Thompson  Post,  No. 
308,  (i.  A.  R.,  of  Paw  I'aw,  of  which  he  has 
been  a  commander  tor  the  past  twn  years. 
In  every  matter  pertaining  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  his  adopted  county  he  is  always 
found  on  the  side  of  right. 


HUKATU)  11.  MASON,  capitalist,  uf 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  is  pre-eminently  a 
self-made  man.  He  began  life  with  a  defi- 
nite purpose  in  view,  worked  faithfully  and 
honestly,  and  with  a  will  for  its  accomplish- 
ment, and  now  enjoys  a  reputation  that  is 
by  no  means  limited  to  the  binindarics  of  ihe 
state.  There  are  three  distinct  families  of 
Masons    in    America,    but    who    are    not,  as 


LI3RARy 
Of  THE 

im-Rmy  of  Illinois 


H.   H.   MASON. 


i 

MRS.   H.    H.   MASON. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  lUmOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


187 


erroneoush-  supposed,  descended  from  the 
traditional  '•  three  brothers  who  came  over 
at  a  very  earl}'  date. "  The  three  progen- 
iters  of  the  Mason  familj'  in  .\merica  were 
of  different  religious  belief  and  came  at  dif- 
ferent times.  John  Mason  of  Puritan  stock 
came  in  1630,  first  settled  in  Massachusetts, 
and  later  moved  to  the  Connecticut  Colony. 
He  was  a  man  of  no  little  prominence,  and 
was  a  principal  factor  in  settling  the  Piquod 
war.  Sampson  Mason  is  the  progenitor  of 
the  family  of  which  our  subject  is  a  worthy- 
representative.  Colonel  George  Mason,  an 
Episcopalian,  and  a  member  of  the  English 
parliament,  was  third  of  the  name  to  estab- 
lish a  family  in  America.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  royal  army  and  colonel  of 
cavalry  under  Charles  Stuart,  afterwards 
Charles  II.  After  the  battle  of  Worcester, 
which  ruined  the  hopes  of  Charles  II, 
George  Mason  escaped  in  disguise,  reached 
Norfolk.  \'irginia.  settled  in  that  province. 
and  established  a  family  that  was  promiuL-nt 
in  colonial  affairs  during  the  Revolutionarx 
war,  as  well  as  in  the  early  struggles  of  the 
young  republic.  One  of  the  number  was  a 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Sampson  Mason,  known  as  the  Baptist 
officer  in  Cromwell's  arm}',  probably  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  ironsides  regiment  and  a  rad- 
ical, immigrated  to  America,  about  1650, 
prior  to  Cromwell's  defeat.  He  settled  at 
Kehoboth.  Massachusetts,  and  although 
owning  property  at  Swansea.  \\  hich  he  was 
instrumental  in  establishing,  never  removed 
there.  In  earlier  generations  the  family 
lived  in  Rhode  Island,  or  Massachusetts, 
near  the  border.  One  of  the  founders  of 
Swansea  became  a  man  uf  substance  and 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  "North  Pur- 
chase." afterwards  the  town  of  Attleboro. 
He  advanced  thirteen  pounds,  five  shillings 


and  ten  pence  for  the  prosecution  of  King 
Phillips  War.  which  ainouiU  was  voted  to 
his  wife  after  his  death  just  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  Sampson  Mason  died  in  Reho- 
both,  and  was  buried  September  15.  1676. 
He  married  Mary  Butterworth,  who  died 
August  29.   1 7 14. 

To  Sampson  Mason  and  wife  thirteen 
children  were  born,  of  whom  Peletiah  was 
eleventh.  He  was  born  in  1669.  married 
Ma}'  22.  1699.  Hepzibah  Brooks,  daughter 
of  Timothy  and  Mary  (Russell)  Brooks. 
The  latter  was  a  daughter  of  Elder  John 
Russell.  Sr. .  a  noted  divine  of  the  colony. 
Peletiah  Mason  died  March  29,  1763.  at  the 
age  of  ninety-four  years.  He  was  the  last 
of  si.\  brothers,  all  of  whom  attained  sev- 
enty years  or  over.  Three  of  the  sons  of 
Peletiah  Mason  were  ministers.  Job,  Rus- 
sell and  John  were  successively  ministers  of 
the  Second  Baptist  church  of  Swansea, 
^fassachusetts.  According  to  old  records. 
Job  was  a  minister  for  over  fort}-se\en 
years  and  was  thirty-seven  years  an  elder. 
Rev.  Russell,  ninth  in  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Swansea  over  forty  years.  Ho  was  born 
.April  21.  1714.  and  married  Rhoda  Kings- 
ley,  June  5,  1736.  by  whom  he  had  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  Phillip  was  fifth.  The 
latter, born  January  29.  1745.  married  Mary 
Scott,  born  in  March.  1745.  Of  their 
twelve  children,  Russell  was  second.  Mi- 
was  born  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 
February  25,  1769,  and  married  Ruth  I^ap- 
ham,  born  in  Smithtield,  Rhode  Island, 
-April  4,  1769.  He  removed  to  Fairfield, 
Herkimer  county.  New  York,  in  1794, 
where  he  owned  a  large  timber  tract,  whirli 
he  cleared  and  converted  into  a  line  farm, 
but  later  moved  to  Warren,  New  N'ork. 
Hiram,  seventh    in   the    family  of  nine  cliil- 


i88 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


dren  bum  to  Russell  and  Ruth  Masun,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Warren.  Herkimer 
county,  New  York,  September  17,  1805. 
Hiram  Mason,  an  active,  trading,  business 
man.  pushed  his  speculations  in  real  estate 
into  the  state  of  Michigan,  where  on  one  of 
his  numerous  trips,  he  died  September  14. 
1835,  and  was  followed  five  months  later. 
February  -9,  1836.  by  his  wife,  who  was  a 
Miss  Fannie  Brown.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
man Flats,  Herkimer  county.  New  York. 
.August  9.  1808,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Wealthy  (Able)  Brown,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Colchester,  Connec- 
ticut. The  former  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years,  while  residing  jn  his  native 
county. 

The  Masons  seem  to  have  all  been  men 
of  strong  physical  and  mental  attamnients, 
men  of  energy  and  brains,  resourceful,  inde- 
pendent and  self-reliant.  Of  such  stock 
sprung  Horatio  H.  Mason,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Born  in  the  town  of  Warren,  Herki- 
mer county.  New  York.  February  19, 1829,  he 
was  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  seven  years, 
and  was  reared  in  the  family  of  his  grand- 
father Brown,  and  an  uncle.  At  a  very 
early  age  he  became  self-supporting,  receiv- 
ing before  ten  years  of  age,  si.\  and  eight 
dollars  per  month  for  his  services  on  the 
farm,  while  many  other  boys  received  onh 
their  board  and  clothes  and  very  little  of  the 
latter.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to 
Culpeper  county.  \'irginia,  seeking  his  for- 
tune in  the  South.  Being  recommended  by 
an  acquaintance  to  a  merchant  in  the  Shen- 
endoah  Valley,  he  was  told  that  if  he  would 
break  a  certain  colt  to  ride  that  he  would 
be  sent  on  a  collecting  tour.  Having  been 
familiar  all  his  life  with  horses,  the  task 
was  an  easy  one.  So  successful  was  he  in 
collecting  that   he  was  given  a    position  as 


clerk  in  the  store,  and  there   remained  two 
years. 

Returning  to  Herkimer  county.  New 
York,  in  the  village  of  Little  Lakes,  Febru- 
ary 28,  1850,  Mr.  Mason  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Treadway, 
who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Warren.  New 
York,  April  18.  1832.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Belia  and  Philotheta  (Marshall) 
Treadway.  Her  father  was  an  attorney 
and  the  son  of  David  Treadway,  a  farmer, 
who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Herkimer 
county.  Her  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
John  Marshall,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-seven  jears,  and  who  was  so  clear  of 
mind  and  strong  of  body  that  he  was  able 
to  transact  business  up  to  the  date  of  his 
death. 

About  two  years  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Mason  came  west,  traveling  through  parts 
of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  with  a 
view  of  location.  He  finally  decided  upon 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1853  located  here  and  had  his  family  join 
him.  He  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  where  his  residence  now  stands,  and 
began  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin,  long 
since  removed.  The  place  he  began  imme- 
diately to  improve,  planting  an  orchard  and 
ornamental  trees  and  in  due  time  erecting  a 
large  and  commodious  dwelling.  .All  the 
ornamental  trees  around  the  place  to-day 
were  planted  by  him,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  locust  trees,  which  were  standing  near 
the  cabin  when  purchased.  Much  of  the 
original  farm  has  since  been  platted,  lots 
have  been  sold,  and  many  comfortable 
homes  erected. 

Soon  after  locating  in  Sycamore  our 
subject  began  speculating  in  land,  buying 
and  selling  at  a  profit,  and  soon  accumu- 
lated considerable  property   for  that  early 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1 89 


day.  His  good  judgment  of  values,  and  his 
watchfulness  as  to  the  time  when  sales 
should  be  made,  enabled  him  at  all  times 
to  place  the  balance  on  the  right  side  of  the 
ledger.  .\t  various  times  during  the  last 
forty-five  years  he  has  owned  seven  or  eight 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Illinois  and  nearly 
half  as  many  in  Iowa.  In  iSji,  with  James 
S.  Waterman,  he  established  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Sycamore,  the  first  institu- 
tion of  the  kind  in  De  Kalb  county.  He  was 
elected  vice-president  and  given  the  entire 
management  of  the  bank.  In  1875  he  sold 
his  stock  and  severed  all  connections  with 
the  bank.  He  later  became  a  stockholder 
in  the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Railroad  and 
assisted  in  its  promotion  and  construction. 
For  some  years  he  was  in  the  abstract  busi- 
ness as  a  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Bailey  &  Mason.  He  is  now  Jiving  retired 
from  all  business  with  the  e.xception  of  the 
management  of  his  financial  and  real  estate 
interests,  to  which  he  gives  his  exclusive  at- 
tention. 

Mrs.  Mason  departed  this  life  in  Syca- 
more August  25,  1882,  having  been  the 
mother  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  The  living  are  Florence  and 
Maude  M.  The  former  married  Walter 
Loomis,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  De  Kalb  county  with  our  sub- 
ject, and  they  make  their  home  on  the  old 
homestead  in  Sycamore.  They  have  three 
sons,  Mason  Walter,  Samuel  Colby  and 
Harold  Herbert.  The  second  daughter. 
Maude  M.,  married  Horace  H.  HoUaday 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  \"irginia. 
Their  home  is  in  Cairo,  Illinois,  where  Mr. 
Holladay  is  engaged  in  business. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican, 
but  with  the  exception  of  one  term  as  alder- 
man he  has  steadfastly  refused   to   accept 


office.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  personality, 
keen  perception  and  possesses  great  busi- 
ness acumen.  He  is  a  citizen  of  sterling 
worth  and  through  his  own  exertions  he  has 
attained  an  honorable  position  and  marked 
prestige  among 'the  representative  men  of 
De  Kalb  county,  and  with  signal  consistency 
it  ma\'  be  said  that  he  is  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortunes  and  one  whose  success  amply 
justifies  the  application  of  the  somewhat 
hackneyed  but  most  expressive  title  "a  self 
made  man.  '  His  youthful  dreams  of  success 
have  been  realized  and  in  their  happy  ful- 
fillment he  sees  the  fitting  reward  of  his 
earnest  toil. 


WELLS  A.  FAY,  deceased,  was  num- 
bered among  the  very  earliest  of 
the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  county,  locating 
here  in  1836.  He  was  born  in  Onondago 
county,  New  York,  November  13,  1S14. 
and  was  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Rhoda 
(White)  Fay,  the  former  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  In  his 
native  state  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  when 
twenty-two  years  of  age  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  took  up  a  claim  of  land  in 
Squaw  Grove  township,  comprising  some 
three  hundred  acres,  which  he  entered  and 
purchased  after  it  came  into  market.  .\ 
portion  of  this  land  he  k.ter  sold.  On  mak- 
ing the  claim  he  at  once  commenced  to  im- 
prove the  place  by  the  erection  of  a  cabin 
and  the  breaking  of  the  prairie  land.  The 
cabin  was  afterwards  replaced  with  a  good, 
comfortable  residence,  and  with  the  various 
outbuildings  erected,  together  with  other 
improvements,  he  made  a  farm  that  com- 
pared well  with  any  of  the  excellent  farms 
in  Squaw  Grove  township. 

On  the  8th  of  June,    1842,    he   married 


1 90 


TH1£    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Miss  Harriett  K.  Lay,  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  H.  and  Em- 
ily (Pratt)  Lay,  both  of  whom  were  also 
natives  of  Connecticut,  the  former  born 
in  1795  and  the  latter  in  1800.  In 
1842  Mr.  Lay  came  west  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  De  Kalb  county  where  his  last  days 
were  spent,  he  dying  in  1861,  while  his 
wife,  who  survived  him  a  few  years,  died 
in  1869.  In  their  family  were  five  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  of  whom  Mrs.  Fay  was 
the  oldest.  One  of  their  daughters,  Julia, 
is  now  the  wife  of  Oscar  Whitson,  of  State 
Center,  Iowa.  The  son,  James  H.  Eay, 
is  a  farmer  now  residing  in  Newport,  Ne- 
braska. Mrs.  Fay  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Connecticut,  and  for  one  year  after  her 
arrival  in  Ue  Kalb  county,  she  engaged  in 
teaching.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fay  five  chil- 
dren were  born.  Emma  S.  grew  to 
womanhood,  married  Rev.  S.  P.  Gates,  a 
minister  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
they  moved  to  Pennsylvania,  where  she 
later  died  leaving  one  daughter,  Sarah. 
Jennie  is  the  wife  of  E.  P.  Gardiner,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Alcolt  N.  married  and  is  also  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  De  Kalb  county.  He 
has  a  fannly  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
and  has  lost  one  son.  Ida  is  the  wife  of  L. 
J.  Lamson,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  of  Chicago.  Ashley  H.  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  years. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fay  was  a  Republican, 
and  while  he  never  desired  public  office,  he 
was  elected  and  served  some  years  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  He  took  quite  an  inter- 
est in  educational  matters  and  was  elected 
and  served  as  school  trustee  for  some  years. 
In  his  early  life  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  but  in  later 
life  was   converted   to   the    Adventist    faith, 


although  he  continued  to  attend  the  Method- 
ist church.  His  wife  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Hinckley. 

In  1882  Mr.  Fay  rented  his  farm,  pur- 
chased residence  property  to  which  he  re- 
moved and  lived  a  retired  life  until  his 
death  October  i,  1897.  He  was  a  man 
well  known  and  universally  esteemed 
wherever  known.  Since  his  death  Mrs. 
Fay  has  bought  other  residence  property  in 
Hinckley  where  she  resides  and  where  her 
many  friends  always  receive  a  hearty  wel- 
con.e. 


BENJAMIN  F.  UPLINGER,  dealer  in 
lumber,  grain,  coal,  lime,  salt,  flour 
and  feed,  is  one  of  Kingston's  live  business 
men.  He  \\'as  born  in  Butler  township, 
Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  September 
10,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth (\\"ood)  Uplinger,  both  natives  of 
the  same  state.  John  Uplinger  was  a 
butcher,  a  business  which  he  carried  on  in 
connection  with  farming,  and  was  an  active 
and  ]5rosperous  business  man.  He  re- 
moved from  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois,  with 
his  family,  in  1866,  locating  in  Kingston 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
improved  land,  and  added  to  that  several 
other  farnis,  which  he  disposed  of  at  dif- 
ferent times.  He  was  a  keen-sighted  busi- 
ness man,  and  was  usually  in  advance  of 
his  time.  He  retained  two  hundred  acres 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred October  6,  1893.  His  wife  fol- 
lowed him  in  July,  1897.  They  were  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity,  and  twelve  now  living. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


191 


Benjamin  F.  Uplinger  was  in  his  seventh 
year  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
King^ston  township.  His  boyhood  and 
)'outh  were  spent  upon  the  home  farm,  and 
his  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools  of  Kingston.  He  remained  with 
his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-four  years 
of  age.  when  he  removed  to  Kansas,  where 
he  took  up  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  as  a  homestead,  also  took  up  a  tree 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which 
he  now  owns.  His  stay  in  Kansas  lasted 
but  two  years,  and  on  his  return  to  Kings- 
ton he  took  his  place  on  the  home  farm, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  at  which 
time  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Kingston, 
and  May  20,  1891,  he  entered  upon  his 
present  line  of  business. 

On  the  3d  of  December,  1886,  Mr.  Up- 
linger  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cal- 
purnia  Littrell,  a  native  of  Salem,  Mrginia, 
born  March  26,  1867.  By  this  union  two 
children  have  been  born:  Leon  O..  Au- 
gust 21,  1888;  and  Alfred  R.,  January  13, 
1893.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Uplinger  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which 
he  is  an  official  member.  He  has  been 
honored  by  his  townsmen  by  his  election  to 
the  presidency  of  the  village  board  for  two 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Globe.  No  man  stands  higher  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  people  of  Kingston.  He  is 
active  in  business,  and  falls  in  line  with 
every  modern  improvement  and  scheme 
which  benefits  man  and  adds  value  to  his 
labor.  He  has  greatly  at  heart  the  build- 
ing up  of  Kingston,  a  fact  which  is  attested 
by  his  own  commodious  business  establish- 
ment. His  grain  trade  amounts  to  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  cars  per  annum.  Po- 
liticallv  he  is  a  Democrat. 


HENRY  CLAPSADDLE,  who  for  forty- 
six  years  has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
count}',  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  the 
village  of  Shabbona.  He  is  a  native  of 
Herkimer  county.  New  York,  born  Januarj- 
I,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of  Dennis  Clapsad- 
dle.  a  native  of  the  same  state,  born  in  1 774, 
and  a  grandson  of  Major  Clapsaddle,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  in 
which  he  held  a  major's  commission.  The 
Clapsaddles  are  of  German  ancestry,  the 
family  being  among  the  early  settlers  of 
New  York.  Dennis  Clapsaddle  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  count}' and  state,  and 
there  married  Elizabeth  Frank,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Herkimer  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  Squire  Frank,  of  the  same  countv  and 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  By 
occupation  Dennis  Clapsaddle  was  a  farmer, 
and  spent  his  entire  life  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Herkimer  county,  dying  there  in 
1842.  His  wife  survived  him  some  twenty 
years,  dying  in  1862.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  mature  years  and  married, 
our  subject  and  three  sisters  being  the  sole 
survivors. 

In  his  native  county  Henry  Clapsaddle 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  on  a  farm,  and 
there  received  a  good  common-school  edu- 
cation. .\fter  his  father's  death  he  remained 
with  his  mother  on  the  o'd  farm  until  after 
he  attained  his  majority.  In  1852  he  came 
west  to  De  Kalb  county.  Illinois,  where  he 
joined  an  older  brother.  Michael  Clapsaddle. 
who  located  here  about  1S47.  He  had. 
however,  come  to  De  Kalb  county  two  years 
previously  and  purchased  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship, after  which  he  returned  to  New  York. 
He  was  married  February  26.  1852.  in 
Herkimer  countv.  New   "S'ork.  to   Elizabeth 


192 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


X.  Cross,  a  native  of  Herkimer  county  and 
a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Ora  (Ingraham) 
Cross. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Clapsaddie 
came  to  De  Kalb  county  with  his  young 
liride,  and  made  a  permanent  location  on 
the  farm  which  ho  had  pre\iously  purchased. 
'I'here  was  a  log  house  on  the  place  and  in 
that  they  resided  a  few  years  while  improve- 
ments were  being  made  in  the  place.  Later 
he  built  a  good  house  and  barn,  made  other 
improvements  and  there  resided  twelve  years. 
In  1S64  he  sold  that  farm  and  purchased 
and  improved  one  of  two  hundred  acres  in 
Shabbona  township,  which  he  further  im- 
proved by  the  erection  of  a  large  and  sub- 
stantial residence,  barns  and  other  outbuild- 
ings, and  upon  that  farm  he  resided  for 
twenty-eight  years.  In  1891  he  rented  the 
farm  and  in  1892  moved  to  the  village  of 
Shabbona,  where  he  purchased  lots  and 
built  a  fine  residence,  which  has  since  been 
his  home.  He  has  since  sold  the  farm  to 
his  son,  but  owns  one  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  near  Clear  Lake,  Cerro  Gordo 
county,  Iowa,  a  well  improved  place.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clapsaddie  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  the  first  born,  Dean,  dying 
in  childhood.  H.  J.  now  owns  and  operates 
the  old  home  farm.  He  married  Ella  Lane 
of  De  Kalb  county.  Delos  D.  is  now  mar- 
ried, owns  and  operates  a  farm  in  Cerro 
Gordo  county,  Iowa.  He  married  Mary 
Smith,  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Guy  and  Clare. 

Politically  Mr.  Clapsaddie  is  a  stanch 
Republican.  Before  the  organization  of 
that  party  he  was  a  free  soiler,  and  in 
1848  voted  for  Martin  \'an  Buren,  the  free 
soil  candidate  for  president.  On  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Republican  party,  and  on 
account  of  his   lilierty   loving  principles,  he 


naturally  drifted  into  it,  and  voted  for  its 
first  presidential  candidate,  John  C.  Fre- 
mont, in  1856.  He  has  never  missed  cast- 
ing his  vote  for  the  presidential  nominee  of 
the  party,  from  that  time  to  the  present. 
He  has  ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  local 
politics,  and  was  first  elected  commissioner 
of  higlnvays  in  Paw  Paw  township,  serving 
as  such  until  his  removal  to  Shabbona  town- 
ship. For  eight  consecutive  years  he 
served  as  supervisor  of  Shabbona  township, 
a  portion  of  which  time  he  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  public  printing, 
and  was  on  \arious  other  committees.  He 
also  served  as  township  trustee  of  Paw  Paw, 
and  has  filled  the  same  office  in  Shabbona 
township.  In  the  various  conventions  of 
his  party  he  usually  serves  as  a  delegate. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clapsaddie  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  in  Shabbona, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  official  board, 
serving  as  trustee  and  deacon.  Mrs.  Clap- 
saddle  is  an  active  worker  in  the  different 
church  societies.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason, 
first  holding  membership  in  the  lodge  at 
Paw  Paw,  into  which  he  was  initiated  about 
1859.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Blue 
lodge  at  Shabbona,  and  has  served  through 
all  the  chairs  and  has  also  represented  his 
lodge  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state.  In 
whatever  position  he  may  be  found  every 
duty  is  faithfully  discharged.  He  is  a  man 
greatly  esteemed  in  the  community  where 
he  has  so  long  resided,  and  his  friends  are 
many  throughout  the  county. 


EDWARD  P.  GARDINER,  who  resides 
on  section  19,  Squaw  Grove  township, 
where  he  operates  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy  acres,  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb   county  since  1 868.      He  was   l)orn 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


193 


in  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut.  July  29, 
184.:.  and  is  the  son  of  Orrin  Gardiner,  also 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  1810,  and 
wlio  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state, 
and  married  Cordelia  Pratt,  who  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  Connecticut.  By  occupa- 
tion he  was  a  farmer.  In  his  native  state 
he  spent  his  entire  life,  dying  in  the  spring 
of  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  His 
wife  survived  him,  and  died  in  .Aurora,  Illi- 
nois, in  1890.  Their  family  consisted  of 
two  sons  and  two  daughters.  Emily  grew 
to  womanhood,  married  Dr.  T.  M.  Triplett, 
and  they  reside  in  Lmcoln,  Nebraska. 
Henr}'  W.  resides  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  business.  Edwin  P. 
is  the  subject  of  this  review.  Fanny  C. 
married  Horace  M.  Smith,  a  farmer,  and 
they  reside  at  Friend.  Saline  county,  Ne- 
braska. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  county,  where  he  received 
a  good  common-school  education.  When  a 
young  man  of  twenty,  in  August,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Twentieth  Connect- 
icut Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  assigned 
to  the  .-Vrmy  of  the  Potomac,  and  later 
transferred  to  the  .^rmy  of  the  Cumberland. 
With  his  regiment  he  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Chancellorsville,  where  he  was  shot 
through  the  right  thigh  and  permanently 
disabled.  From  the  battle-field  he  was  sent 
to  the  hospital,  where  he  lay  for  several 
months,  and  recovering  was  transferred  to 
the  veteran  reserve  corps,  and  was  on  guard 
duty  at  Harrisburg,  Philadelphia,  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  and  later  at  Washington,  D. 
C,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  guarding 
rebel  prisoners  at  Elmira,  New  York.  In 
July,  1865,  he  was  honorably  discharged 
and  returned  to  his  home  in  Connecticut. 
On  returning  home  Mr.  (iardiner  worked 


on  the  farm  and  at  such  occupations  as 
came  to  hand,  and  there  remained  until 
1868,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  and  located  at  Sandwich,  where  he 
secured  employment  with  the  Sandwich 
Manufacturing  Company,  for  thirteen  vears 
in  the  shipping  department.  He  then  had 
charge  of  the  repair  shops  for  soiiie  years. 
On  the  4th  (if  October,  1869,  he  marrietl 
Miss  lennie  L.  Fay,  a  native  of  De  Kalb 
county,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated, 
and  a  daughter  of  W  ells  .\.  Fay,  who  was 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  the  county, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  work.  By 
this  union,  three  daughters  have  been  born: 
Emma,  wife  of  Jesse  ].  Nichols,  now  of 
Crowley  county,  Kansas;  Hattie,  v.-ho  re- 
sides at  home;  and  Ida,  also  at  home. 

.After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gardiner  began  their  domestic  life  at  Sand- 
wich, where  they  continued  to  reside  until 
1882,  when  they  moved  to  the  farm,  where 
they  now  reside,  and  where  Mr.  Gardiner 
has  since  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, in  which  he  has  been  quite  successful 
as  a  general  and  dairy  farmer.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican  and  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential ballot  for  General  U.  S.  Grant. 
Office  holding  has  never  been  to  his  taste, 
and  he  has  therefore  never  engaged  in  anv 
scramble  for  public  office.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  at  Hinckley,  in  which  he  serves 
as  one  of  the  official  board.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  .A.  R.  Post  at  Sandwich,  while 
Mrs.  Gardiner  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps.  They  are  also  members  of 
the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security  at 
Hinckley.  He  is  well  known  in  Somonauk 
township  and  the  southern  part  of  the  coun- 
ty and  has  many  warm  friends,  while  Mrs. 
Gardiner,  coming  as  she  does  from    an  old 


t94 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


pioneer  family,  is  also  well  known  and 
highly  respected  for  her  many  womanly 
traits  of  character. 


JUDGE  WILLIAM  L.  POND,  attorney- 
at-law,  and  judge  of  the  county  court, 
is  a  resident  of  the  city  of  De  Kalb  and  is 
a  lawyer  of  well  established  reputation,  one 
of  the  truly  representative  members  of  the 
legal  profession  of  De  Kalb  county.  He 
was  born  in  Genoa  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  February  ir,  i860,  and  is  the 
son  of  Americus  H.  and  Amy  N.  (Hollem- 
beak)  Pond,  who  were  earlj'  settlers  in  this 
county,  and  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  His  boyhood  and  youth 
were  spent  upon  the  home  farm,  and  his 
education  was  received  in  the  district  school 
and  Genoa  High  School,  from  which  he 
graduated  June  10,  1881,  in  the  first  class 
graduating  therefrom.  He  then  taught  the 
High  School  at  Kirkland  one  year,  an  ex- 
perience to  which  he  looks  back  with  grati- 
tude. In  his  capacity  as  teacher  he  came 
in  touch  with  Young  America,  in  its  gener- 
ally unsubdued  state.  He  abandoned  school 
teaching,  however,  for  a  vocation  for  which 
he  was  more  aptly  fitted,  both  by  nature 
and  education.  Entering  the  law  oflfice  of 
Lowell  &  Carnes,  he  remained  with  that 
firm  one  year  and  completed  his  course  of 
studies  with  the  firm  of  Carnes  &  Denton, 
of  Sycamore.  After  passing  a  creditable 
e.xamination  before  the  supreme  court  of 
the  state  at  Ottawa,  Illinois,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  June  10,  1884,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law  at  De  Kalb.  in 
September  of  the  same  year. 

On  November  9,  1887,  Mr.  Pond  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  E.  Cole, 
a  native  of  Kingston.  Illinois,  born  April  21, 


i860,  and  a  daughter  of  Marcus  W.  and 
.Anna  E.  (Little)  Cole,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  New  York.  [See  sketch  in  an- 
other part  of  this  work.]  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pond  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Jessie  A., 
born  No\ember  4,  188S,  who  is  now  attend- 
ing the  schools  of  De  Kalb. 

In  .May,  1886.  Mr.  Pond  was  elected 
city  attorney  of  De  Kalb,  an  office  which  he 
ably  and  conscientiously  filled  for  eleven 
consecutive  years,  in  the  meantime  serving 
one  term  on  the  board  of  education.  In 
January,  1S87.  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Judge  Luther  Lowell,  which  continued 
two  years,  having  offices  in  Sycamore  and 
De  Kalb.  He  then  practiced  alone  until 
January  i,  1895,  when  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  A.  G.  Kennedy,  who  had  just 
located  in  De  Kalb.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued until  June,  1897,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved just  prior  to  the  election  of  Mr.  Pond 
as  county  judge.  At  that  time  he  was 
elected  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  in  the  summer 
of  1898  he  received  the  Republican  nomi- 
nation to  the  office  for  the  full  term. 

Fraternally  Judge  Pond  is  a  member  of 
De  Kalb  Lodge,  No.  144,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  also  of  De  Kalb  Chapter,  No.  52,  R. 
A.  M.,  De  Kalb  Council,  No.  81,  and  Syca- 
more Commandery,  No.  15,  K.  T.  Among 
orher  fraternal  organizations  of  which  he  is 
a  member  are  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  the 
Globe,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Judge  Pond 
is  honored  and  esteemed,  not  only  for  his 
legal  acumen  and  business  ability,  but  for 
his  sterling  personal  worth.  Upright,  re- 
liable and  honorable,  his  strict  adherence 
to  principle  commands  the  respect  of  all. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  adhering  to  the 
true  principles  of  the  party,  principles  which 


JUDGE  W.   L.   POND. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


I9f 


he  has  advocated  since  attaining  his  majority. 
He  is  a  genial,  courteous  gentleman,  a  pleas- 
ant, entertaining  companion,  and  has  man}' 
admiring  friends  among  all  classes  of  men. 


R(  )KEKT  BOSTON  is  not  only  a  pioneer 
of  De  I\alb  count}',  where  he  has  re- 
sided since  1845.  hut  is  also  a  \eteran  of 
the  Civil  war.  He  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
born  near  London  February  13,  1S40.  His 
father,  Thomas  Boston,  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  emi- 
grating from  that  country  to  Canada  where 
he  opened  up  a  farm,  clearing  it  of  timber 
and  making  a  home  in  the  wilderness.  He 
there  married  Mary  .Ann  Jones,  a  native  of 
Canada,  of  Welsh  parentage.  In  183S  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  selected  a  location  for 
a  future  residence  and  for  a  time  worked  on 
a  farm  and  later  on  the  dam  at  Di.xon,  Illi- 
nois, the  first  dam  built  across  Rock  river. 
He  later  returned  to  Canada  and  there  mar- 
ried, and  in  1845  returned  with  his  famil}- 
and  purchased  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  Mr.  Ross.  On  coming  here 
he  resided  for  two  or  three  years  with  the 
father  of  his  wife,  then  built  his  residence, 
hauling  the  lumber  from  Chicago  with  an  ox 
team.  Fencing  the  place  he  commenced 
its  improvement  and  later  purchased  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  additional,  giving 
him  a  hne  (arm  of  two  hundred  and  fort}' 
acres,  on  which  he  continued  to  reside  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  1 866  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  His  wife  survives  him  and  is  now 
seventy-seven  years  old.  Of  their  family 
of  eight  children,  seven  grew  to  mature 
}'ears  and  li\'e  are  now  living. 

Robert  Boston  grew  to  nianhood  on  the 

home  farm    in    Paw    I'aw   township  and  was 
10 


educated  in  the  district  schools.  He  re- 
mained with  liis  father  doing  his  share  of 
the  farm  work  until  August  13,  1S61,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Fourth  Illinois 
Cavalry,  his  regiment  later  being  assigned 
to  the  .'\rin\'  of  the  Tennessee.  With  it  he 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Henr\', 
Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  the  siege  of 
\'icksburg,  the  battles  of  Jackson,  Black 
River  and  Coffevville,  together  with  a  num- 
ber of  minor  engagements.  At  Shiloh  he 
was  struck  by  an  exploded  shell,  his  gun 
lieing  shot  away,  but  he  onl}'  received  a 
mere  scratch  on  the  ear,  but  he  considered 
it  ([uite  a  close  call.  He  enlisted  as  a 
private  and  was  appointed  corporal  and 
later  sergeant,  serving  as  such  until  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  service.  He  was  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  Illinois,  November  8, 
1S64,  after  serving  about  three  years  and 
three  months. 

After  recei\'ing  his  discharge,  Mr.  Bos- 
ton returned  home,  and  continued  work 
with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death,  when 
he  purchased  the  interests  of  the  other 
heirs  and  succeeded  to  the  home  place. 
He  was  married  October  17,  1867,  to  Lticy 
S.  Place,  a  native  of  New  York,  but  reared 
and  educated  in  Paw  Paw  township,  and  a 
daughter  of  George  Place,  one  of  the  earl}' 
settlers  of  De  Kalb  county.  By  this  union 
there  is  one  son  living,  R.  Stanton,  who  is 
married  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Paw 
Paw  township.  They  lost  one  daughter, 
Nettie,  who  died  in  18S6,  at  tlte  age  of 
seventeen  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Boston  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  has  voted  for  every  nominee 
of  the  party  (or  president  since  he  cast  his 
ballot  for  Lmcoln  in  1864.  He  was  elected 
and  served  as  township  collector  one  term, 
for  eight  consecutixe  years  has  been  assessor 


19^ 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  the  township,  was  township  clerk  two 
or  three  years,  and  also  served  as  township 
treasurer.  For  some  twentj-  years  he 
served  as  school  director,  being  clerk  and 
president  of  the  board  at  different  times.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Rollo  Congregational 
church,  in  which  he  takes  an  active  part, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Shabbona 
Post,  G.  A.  R.  As  a  citizen  he  has  done 
his  full  share  in  the  development  of  his 
adopted  county,  and  by  one  and  all  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem. 


W  INFIELD  S.  CLARK  has  a  reputa- 
tion of  being  one  of  the  best  photog- 
raphers in  northern  Illinois.  His  gallery  at 
Sycamore  is  well  equipped  for  the  produc- 
tion of  every  kind  of  photographic  work, 
and  he  at  all  times  keeps  in  touch  with  the 
latest  improxements  made.  He  is  a  native 
of  New  Milford,  Illinois,  born  January  i, 
1852,  and  is  the  son  of  James  H.  and  Nancy 
M.  (Horton)  Clark,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Ithica,  New  York.  They  came  to 
Illinois  in  about  1838,  settling  at  New  Mill- 
ford,  Winnebago  county,  where  they  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  politics  he  was  an 
Abolitionist,  but  became  a  Republican  on 
the  organization  of  that  party.  His  wife 
died  at  New  Milford  in  1873,  while  he  sur- 
vived her  some  fifteen  years,  dying  in  i  888. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Charles  M.,  Livonia  C.  and  Winfield  S. 
Livonia  is  now  the  wife  of  E.  H.  Mande- 
ville,  and  they  reside  in  Fresno,  California. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  lived  at  New 
Milford  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  when 
the  family  moved  to  Rockford,  Illinois,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated  in 
its  public  schools,  after  which  he  learned 
the  photograph    business   in   that  place  and 


then  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  business  for  two  jxars.  From  Chicago 
he  went  to  Paw  Paw.  Illinois,  where  he 
carried  on  the  business  for  five  years,  and 
then  located  at  Sycamore,  coming  to  this 
place  in  1887,  where  he  has  since  continued 
to  remain. 

Mr.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage  at 
Paw  Paw,  January  27,  1882,  with  Miss  Al- 
meda  M.  Hicks,  a  daughter  of  Henry  K. 
and  Adelaide  M.  (Matthews)  Hicks,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  New  London,  Con- 
necticut. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  are 
active  in  church  work.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  fratcrnall)'  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  .As 
a  citizen  he  is  progressive,  and,  socially,  he 
and  his  wife  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 
Since  coming  to  Sycamore  he  has  built  up 
an  e.xtensive  and  high-class  patronage,  and 
has  a  prosperous  business. 


DA\TD  N.  CORY,  who  resides  on  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres, 
in  section  10,  Paw  Paw  township,  is  a  native 
of  De  Kalb  county,  born  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  July  29,  1854.  His  father, 
Jesse  Cory,  was  a  native  of  New  Jerse}', 
born  in  181 8,  and  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Orange  county.  New  York,  when  a  child, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood  He  was  a  well 
educated  man,  and  for  a  number  of  years  en- 
engaged  in  teaching  in  the  public  schools.  In 
Tompkins  county.  New  York,  he  married 
Catherine  Nicholson,  a  native  of  that  county, 
and  shortly  afterward  came  to  Illinois  and 
first  located  in  Kendall  county,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time,  and  then  moved  to 
Winnebago  county,  but  later  returned  to 
New    York.      Two    vears    residence   in    his 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


199 


native  state  decided  liim  that  the  west  was 
the  place  lor  one  to  succeed  in  hie.  He 
therefore  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  lilinoi-;, 
and  entered  the  land  where  his  son  now 
resides.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on 
the  prairie. 

After  locating  uj)on  the  place  Jesse  Cory 
erected  a  small  house,  in  which  the  family 
resided  for  a  few  years,  when  he  built  a 
more  modern  residence  with  good  barns  and 
other  outbuildings,  making  a  valuable  farm 
of  one  fumdreii  and  eighty  acres.  On  that 
farm  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dy- 
ing in  18S1,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  and  died  on  February 
'3-  '893'  when  about  seventy-seven  years 
old.  He  was  a  pioneer  teacher  of  De  Kalb 
county,  and  taught  many  winter  terms  of 
school  while  engaged  in  improving  his 
farm.  He  held  many  positions  of  honor 
and  trust  in  his  township,  serving  as  town- 
ship treasurer  for  about  twenty-fi\e  years. 
His  experience  as  a  teacher  made  him  de- 
sirous of  obtaining  good  schools,  and  he 
therefore  used  his  influence  in  that  direction. 
I^raternally  he  was  a  member  of  Shabbona 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Jesse  and  Catherine 
Cory  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  four 
of  whom  grew  to  mature  years.  Susan  is 
the  wife  of  H.  I^.  Terpening,  a  farmer  of 
N'ermillion  county,  Illinois.  Elizabeth  is 
the  wife  of  William  Campbell,  of  JanesviUe, 
Wisconsin.  Andrew  A.  resides  in  Chicago, 
where  he  is  employed  as  a  conductor  on  the 
street  railway.  David  N.  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Davifl  X.  Cory  grew  to  manhood  ou 
the  home  farm  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  school  and  East  Paw 
Paw  Seminary.  He  assisted  his  father  on 
the  farm  until  the  latter's  death,  when  he 
took   charge    of    the   place,  and   later    pur- 


chased the  interests  of  thf  otfier  heirs. 
Since  coming  in  possession  of  the  estate  he 
has  added  materially  to  the  impro\  ements, 
and  has  now  one  of  the  most  valuable  farms 
in  the  town.  In  his  chosen  occupation  he 
has  been  successful,  and  in  addition  to 
general  farmmg  has  engaged  in  breeding  to 
some  extent  high  grade  stock.  He  was 
married  in  De  Kalb  county,  January  28, 
1880,  to  Miss  Susan  James,  a  native  of 
Kendall  county,  Illinois,  but  who  spent  the 
great  ii.irt  of  her  life  in  De  Kalb  county. 
A  well  educated  lady,  she  was  for  some 
years  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  prior 
to  her  marriage.  She  is  a  daughter  of  F. 
M.  ]ames,  of  Sijuaw  Grove  township.  By 
this  union  there  are  two  children,  Ralph 
and  Jessie,  students  in  the  home  school. 

A  life  long  Republican,  Mr.  Cory  cast 
his  first  presidential  ballot  for  U.  S.  Grant 
in  1868.  He  has  taken  quite  an  active  part 
in  local  politics,  and  in  various  campaigns 
has  contributed  of  his  time  and  means. 
For  three  terms  he  has  served  as  township 
collector,  and  has  also  served  as  supervisor 
of  his  township,  making  an  efficient  mem- 
ber, and  serving  on  the  committees  on  edu- 
cation, real  estate  and  assessments,  and 
some  others.  Mrs.  Cory  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church  of  Rollo,  and 
fraternall)'  he  is  a  member  of  Shabbona 
lodge,  A.  F.  cS:  .\.  M.  Both  are  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  township  and  have 
man}'  friends  with  whom  they  are  held  in 
the  highest  esteem. 


LUCIAX  DODGi:,  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
ing in  De  Kalb,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  county  since  1863,  thirty- two  years  of 
which  time  he  spent  in  arduous  toil  upon 
the  farm,  and   b}-  his   industrj'  and  thrift  he 


200 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


is  now  permitted  to  live  in  ease  and  retire- 
ment. He  is  a  native  of  X'ermont,  born  at 
Mt.  Holly,  June  19,  1843,  and  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Eliza  (Connant)  Dodge,  the 
former  born  at  Durham  Flats,  Canada,  Feb- 
ruary 2.  1809.  and  the  latter  in  Townsend, 
Massachusetts,  September  12, 1807.  Thomas 
r^odge  was  a  large  landowner,  having  some 
fourteen  hundred  acres  under  his  control. 
He  removed  from  Canada  to  X'ermont,  at 
the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  in  company 
with  his  father,  Abram  Dodge,  locating  near 
Mt.  Holly,  \'ermont.  In  that  state  he  at- 
tained some  prominence,  serving  in  the  leg- 
islature cjf  that  state  for  one  term.  In  1863, 
he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and 
purchased  what  was  then  known  as  the  \'an 
Wert  property.  Politically  he  was  a  Re- 
publican, and  was  always  interested  in  po- 
litical affairs.  He  died  December  29.  1893, 
and  his  wife  March  23,  1875.  Their  family 
consisted  of  three  sons:  Thomas  W'.,  born 
May  30,  1838;  Rollin,  October  13,  1S41; 
and  Lucian,  as  noted  above.  All  were  born 
at  Mt.  Holly,  Vermont. 

Lucian  Dodge  was  reared  and  received 
his  primar\'  education  at  Mt.  Holly,  X'er- 
mont, and  afterward  took  a  course  at  Black 
River  Academy-,  Ludlow,  X'ermont.  He 
was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois. He  at  once  engaged  in  farming,  which 
he  successfully  carried  on  until  1895,  when 
he  removed  to  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  where 
he  now  lives  in  retirement,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  former  toil. 

On  the  22nd  of  October.  1891,  Mr. 
Dodge  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Cora  A.  Tiffany,  a  native  of  Darien,  XX'is- 
consin,  born  December  6,  i860,  and  the 
daughter  of  X'ester  and  Louise  fBlodgett) 
Tiffany,  both  natives  of   Hartford,  Pennsyl- 


vania, from  which  place  in  1857  they  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin,  where  they  remained 
for  several  years.  The)"  ne.xt  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  Mr.  Tiffany  died  in  February, 
1892,  in  his  sixty-fifth  year.  His  widow 
then  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  where 
she  now  resides.  They  reared  a  family  of 
eight  children.  Jessie  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  A. 
T.  Piercv,  Placervillc.  California.  Ida  mar- 
ried Rev.  C.  \\'.  Pruitt.  and  died  October 
19,  1884,  at  Cheefoo.  China,  after  having 
lived  in  China  several  \"ears  as  a  missionary. 
Cora  is  the  wife  of  our  subject.  XVilliam  is 
a  farmer  at  Independence,  Iowa.  Elmer  is 
a  practicing  physician  of  Modera,  Califor- 
nia. Edward  is  a  ph\'sician  of  Plymouth, 
California.  Belle  resides  in  Placervdle,  Cal- 
ifornia. Herbert  is  a  bookkeeper  in  Chi- 
cago, and  served  in  the  war  with  Spain. 
The  Tiffanys  are  of  English  extraction,  and 
some  of  that  name  emigrated  to  the  New 
XX'orld  in  1600,  and  located  at  .\ttlebur)', 
Massachusetts.  Colonel  .Amos  Tiffany,  the 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Dodge,  was  an  officer 
in  the  war  of  18 12  and  fought  valiantly  for 
his  country.  Her  maternal  great- grandfa- 
ther, Timothy  Blodgett,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  Blodgetts  are  also 
of  English  extraction,  the  first  of  the  name 
locating  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  as 
early  as  1635,  coming  to  the  New  XX'orld  in 
the  ship  Increase. 

The  Dodges  are  of  Scotch  descent,  and 
were  early  settlers  in  this  country.  .-Xbra- 
ham  Dodge,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
took  an  active  part  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. Lucian  Dodge,  in  addition  to  his 
fine  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  DeKalb 
township,  owns  a  beautiful  residence  in  the 
cit}-.  For  some  years  he  engaged  in  general 
farming,  but  of  late  years  confined  himself 
principally   to   dairving.      Success    crowned 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL.    RECORD. 


20I 


his  efforts,  and  he  is  now  numbered  among 
the  well-to-do  citizens  of  De  Kalb  county. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason  and  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  principles  of  that  order.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Republican. 


DANIEL  HOHM,  who  is  now  serving 
as  marshal  of  the  village  of  Hinckley, 
is  a  well  known  citizen  of  the  county,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  resident  since  1878. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  city  September 
15,  i860,  and  is  the  son  of  Vincent  Hohm. 
a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the 
New  \\orId  after  attaining  his  majority, 
locating  in  New  York  city,  where  he  mar- 
ried Charlotte  Schneider,  also  a  native  of 
Germany.  By  trade  he  was  a  shoemaker, 
at  which  he  worked  in  New  York  about 
four  years.  In  1S62  he  removed  to  Piano, 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  business,  and 
there  resided  until  187S,  when  he  moved 
with  his  family  to  Victor  township,  De  Kalb 
county. 

Daniel  Hohm,  our  subject,  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Piano,  Illinois,  where  he  obtained 
a  limited  education  in  the  public  schools. 
•  From  the  age  of  ten  years  he  has  made  his 
own  living  in  the  world,  at  that  time  com- 
mencing work  in  a  livery  barn.  In  1878 
he  came  with  the  family  to  De  Kalb  county, 
and  for  two  years  worked  upon  a  farm,  then 
engaged  with  George  Watson,  and  after- 
tervvards  with  Joseph  Glidden  and  others 
in  the  care  of  their  horses.  In  1885  he 
moved  to  Hinckley,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  livery  business.  One  year  later  he  was 
burned  out,  suffering  considerable  loss,  but 
later  rebuilt  the  livery  barn  which  he  still 
owns,  and  for  ten  years  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business,  in  which  he 
had  a  nice  and  satisfactory  trade.      During 


those  ten  years  he  was  also  engaged  in  buy- 
ing and  shipping  tine  coach  and  driving 
horses,  his  market  being  principally  Chicago, 
although  he  would  occasionally  make  ship- 
ment to  New  York  city. 

Mr.  Hohm  was  married  in  Hinckley, 
March  31,  1885,  to  Miss  Bertha  Bastian,  a 
native  of  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  a 
daughter  of  August  Bastian,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  a  sub- 
stantial farmer  of  Squaw  Grove  township. 
By  this  union  there  are  three  children.  May, 
Lola  and  Harley. 

In  1895  Mr.  Hohm  was  appointed  mar- 
shal by  the  town  board  of  Hinckley,  and 
accepting  the  office  he  rented  his  livery 
barn,  sold  his  stock,  and  has  since  given  his 
entire  attention  to  the  duties  of  the  office. 
In  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  office 
of  marshal  he  has  been  brought  incon- 
tact  with  leading  citizens  of  the  county, 
who  recognizing  his  abiltity  as  an  officer 
lent  their  active  support  to  his  candidacy, 
and  assisted  him  in  securing  him  the  nomi- 
nation for  sheriff  of  De  Kalb  county  in  the 
Republican  county  convention  of  1898.  He 
has  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those  with 
whom  he  is  acquainted,  and  they  are  all 
confident  of  his  election.  He  has  been  a 
life-long  Republican,  and  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  men  and  measures  of  that 
party.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  a  mem- 
ber of  Hinckley  Blue  Lodge,  Sandwich  Chap- 
ter and  Sycamore  Commandery.  As  a  busi- 
ness man.  he  has  always  been  enterprising, 
endeavoring  not  only  to  advance  his  own 
good,  but  that  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resided.  By  his  own  industrj',  he  has 
accumulated  a  fair  property,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  village 
of  Hinckley,  with  friends  scattered  through- 
out the  entire  county.      On  the  9th  of  June, 


202 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1898,  at  Sugar  Grove,  Illinois,  he  sustained 
some  injuries  and  a  general  shake  up  in  a 
railroad  accident  at  that  time  and  place. 
He  feels  fortunate  that  the  injuries  received 
were  no  worse,  but  he  was  badly  bruised 
and  disabled  lor  dut\'  for  sescral  weeks. 


WILLIA.M  LABRANT,  a  retired  mer- 
chant residing  in  Malta,  Illinois,  is  a 
native  of  Massilon,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  born 
Sej)teniber  I,  1833,  and  is  the  son  ot  |on- 
athau  and  Margaret  ( Isenbrigh")  l^abrant, 
both  natives  of  Germany,  who  emigrated  to 
this  country  about  1832,  locating  near  Mas- 
silon, Ohio.  While  residing  in  his  native 
cunntrj',  Jonathan  I^abraiit  served  as  a  me- 
chanic, but  after  his  emigration  to  this 
country  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  was 
his  occupation  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  In  1843,  he  removed  to  Crawford 
count)',  Ohio,  where  he  leased  a  large  tract 
of  land,  which  he  cleared,  turning  it  into  a 
\aluable  and  productive  farm.  On  that 
farm  he  remained  until  185 1,  when,  with 
his  family,  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  Pierce  township,  which  he  at  once 
began  to  improve,  and  on  which  he  resided 
until  1868,  when  he  sold  the  same  at  an 
advanced  price.  He  then  removed  to  the 
village  of  Malta,  where  he  li\ed  until  1870, 
when  he  exchanged  his  Malta  property  for 
Sandwich  propertj',  to  which  place  he  re- 
moved, having  two  daughters  residing  there. 
His  death  occurred  at  that  place  in  June, 
1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  His  wife's 
death  occurred  Jul}'  9,  1879,  also  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  They  were  consistent 
and  upright  people,  members  of  the  German 
Evangelical  church. 

Of  the  familv  of  t^-elve  children  born  to 


|onuthan  and  Margaret  Labrant,  the  sub- 
ject of  thi.s  sketch  was  the  eldest.  In  his 
native  state  he  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation, which  was  supplemented  by  one  or 
two  terms  of  school,  after  his  removal  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  when  in  his  eight- 
eenth year.  While  yet  residing  in  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  he  assisted  his  father  in  clear- 
ing and  cultixating  the  home  farm.  He  left 
his  father's  roof  at  the  age  ot  twenty,  and 
for  two  years  subse(]uent  worked  on  ,i 
faini.  In  the  following  }'ear  he  engaged 
with  I'rederick  Streely  to  learn  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  and  was  with  him  one  year.  In 
1859,  he  removed  to  Missouri,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  until  1861,  when  he  re- 
turned to  De  I-ialb  count v,  and  in  1862  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  PierceviUe, 
Illinois,  an  office  which  he  honestly  and 
honorably  tilled.  In  1865,  he  removed  to 
Malta,  Illinois,  where  for  the  first  two  years 
he  was  engaged  at  working  at  his  trade, 
after  which  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
P.  C.  Wagner,  of  De  Kalb,  and  opened  the 
first  furniture  and  undertaking  establish- 
ment in  Malta.  This  business  was  carried 
on  b\-  the  firm  tor  two  years,  when  Mr.  La- 
brant purchased  Mr.  Wagner's  interest.  A 
larger  store  room  was  built  to  accommodate 
his  growing  trade,  and  he  continued  in  the 
business  until  1889,  when  he  sold  out  to 
Mrs.  Leatherby,  and  remove<l  to  Ashton, 
Illinois,  where,  because  nothing  better 
offered,  he  kept  hotel.  This  proving  dis- 
agreeable to  himself  and  family,  he  aban- 
doned it,  and  removed  to  Aurora,  Illinois, 
but  seeing  no  opening  there,  he  returned  to 
Malta  and  bought  back  from  Mrs.  Leath- 
erby his  old  business,  which  he  followed 
until  1891,  when  he  sold  out  to  Dr.  Badg- 
ley,  and  has  since  lived  a  retired  life. 

On.   the   23d   of    ISovember,    1862,    Mr. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Labrant  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Ann  Myers,  born  in  1S45,  ^nd  a 
daughter  of  George  ^^'.  and  Xaoma  (Eberly) 
Myers.  B\'  this  union  were  five  children,  of 
whom  Edward  E.  is  deceased.  The  living 
are  Cora  E.,  Myrtie  M.,  Maude  O.  and  Ro\' 
\V.  Mrs.  Labrant  died  December  6,  1890, 
and  Maj'  4.  1892,  Mr.  Labrant  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Jane  A.  Harrington, 
widow  of  H.  H.  Harrington,  of  Malta.  She 
was  born  March  ii,  1843,  and  was  eleven 
years  of  age  when  she  came  with  her  par- 
rents  to  De  Kalb  county.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  For 
a  number  of  years  Mr.  Labrant  was  a  mem- 
ber and  an  officer  in  the  same  church,  hold- 
ing the  office  of  class  leader  and  steward  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  brethren. 
Some  years  ago  he  did  that  which  all  men 
have  a  right  to  do.  After  due  deliberation, 
he  changed  his  religious  belief,  and  is  now  a 
member  and  elder  in  the  Advent  church  of 
De  Kalb,  Illinois.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


FRANK  A.  LA  PORTE,  an  enterprising 
farmer  residing  in  section  8,  Paw  Paw 
township,  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  si.xty  acres,  three  and 
three-fourths  tniles  east  of  Paw  Paw.  He 
is  a  native  of  Paw  Paw  township,  born  No- 
vember 6,  i860,  and  is  the  son  of  .\lonzo 
La  Porte,  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in 
1826  at  Sacketts  Harbor,  near  the  Thou- 
sand Islands.  The  paternal  grandfather. 
Narcis  La  Porte,  was  a  native  of  France 
and  a  pioneer  of  Sackett's  Harbor.  He 
moved  west  with  his  family-  in  1837  and  lo- 
lated  at  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  engaged  at  his  trade  of 
blacksmithing,  and  there  reared  his  family. 


He  some  years  later,  howe\er,  moved  to 
De  Kalb  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Paw  Paw  township. 

.\lonzo  La  Porte  was  eleven  years  of 
age  when  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Sugar  Grove,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  on 
a  farm  in  that  township  grew  to  manhood 
and  whenever  possible  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  where  he  received  a  fair  edu- 
cation. From  Sugar  Grove  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  county  in  1848  and  here  married 
Thirza  A.  Hyde,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Ruth  Hyde,  who  were  early  settlers  in  De 
Kalb  count}-.  They  became  the  parents  of 
two  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
grew  to  mature  years  and  married  and  all 
are  living  save  one  daughter.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  about  1882. 

Alonzo  La  Porte  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  war,  and  three  times  walked  across 
the  plains,  first  as  a  soldier  to  Santa  Fe, 
next  to  California  in  1850,  and  later  to 
Pike's  Peak.  With  a  land  warrant  he  en- 
tered one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  later 
added  to  his  possessions  until  he  now  owns 
over  eight  hundred  acres  in  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship. For  years  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  farming,  but  in  1893  moved  to  the  village 
of  Paw  Paw  where  he  is  now  living  a  re- 
tired life.  He  was  quite  active  in  local 
affairs  in  his  township  and  served  as  super- 
visor and  in  other  positions  of  honor  and 
trust. 

On  the  home  farm  in  Paw  Paw  township 
our  subject  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
and  after  attending  the  district  schools, 
finished  his  course  in  the  East  Paw  Paw 
Seminary,  once  a  noted  educational  institu- 
tion. He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  after  attaining  his  majority,  and 
assisted  in  carrying  on  the  farm  until 
twenty-five  years  of  age.      He  was  married 


204 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


in  Clinton  township,  De  Kalb  county,  May 
12,  1.SS7,  to  Miss  Margaret  Fraser,  a 
daughter  of  Edwin  Fraser.  an  early  settler 
and  a  substantia!  farmer  of  that  township. 
IJy  this  union  there  are  two  children,  Thirza 
M.  and  Frank  A. 

After  marriage  Mr.  La  Porte  settled  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  which  then 
consisted  of  two  himdred  and  eighty  acres. 
Later  he  purchased  eight}'  acres  additional, 
and  has  now  a  well  impri>\L'd  and  \aluable 
farm  of  tlirt;e  hundred  and  si.xtv  acres. 
With  general  farming  he  combines  stock 
raising,  feeding  and  preparing  for  market, 
about  si.x  carloads  of  stock  annually,  which 
he  ships  to  Chicago.  He  has  been  quite 
successful  in  his  farming  operations,  and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the 
community.  His  first  presidential  vote  was 
in  1 884,  when  he  voted  for  James  G.  Blaine. 
He  has  since  been  an  earnest  advocate  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
never  desired  nor  has  he  ever  held  public  of- 
his  tastes  and  inclinationsnot  running  in  that 
direction.  In  1884  he  rented  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Paw  Paw  and  there  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising in  partnership  with  his  brother 
James  H.  La  Porte.  After  three  years  suc- 
cessful experience  in  that  line,  he  sold  his 
interest  in  the  store,  and  for  a  time  was  not 
actively  engaged  in  any  business.  While 
residing  in  the  village  he  served  two  \ears 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and 
also  served  on  the  school  board.  In  the 
spring  of  1898  he  returned  to  his  farm, 
where  he  is  now  actively  employed,  and 
with  the  same  characteristic  energy  dis- 
played in  past  years,  will  no  doubt  meet 
with  good  success.  His  life  has  been  an 
active  one,  and  he  is  well  known  and  has 
many  friends  jn  pe  Kail)  and  Lee  coun- 
ties, 


ASHER  DOWNER,  residing  on  section 
32,  Milan  township,  is  one  of  the  most 
progressive  farmers  in  De  Kalb  county,  and 
owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  four  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  which  is  under  the  highest 
state  of  cultivation.  He  is  a  native  of  On- 
tario, Canada,  born  near  Montreal,  August 
30.  1832,  and  is  the  son  of  Abel  Downer,  a 
native  of  Winchester,  \'ermont,  born  in 
1791.  His  paternal  grandfather  Downer 
was  a  pioneer  of  Vermont,  and  .\hv\  Downer 
there  grew  to  mauluxid,  inul  when  a  young 
man  went  to  Canada,  where  he  married 
Lucinda  Looiner,  a  native  of  Canada,  born 
on  an  island  in  the  St.  Lawrence  river. 
After  his  marriage  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Canada  for  a  few  years,  but  being  dissatis- 
fied with  the  country,  in  1837,  he  came  to 
Illinois,  looking  for  a  location,  but  made  no 
selection  and  came  the  second  time  for  the 
same  purpose,  removing  to  the  state  in 
1840,  locating  at  Aurora,  Kane  county, 
which  was  then  but  an  insignihcaiit  village. 
He  made  a  claim  some  two  miles  from  the 
village,  and  commenced  the  erection  of  a 
dwelling  house,  which  was  burned  before 
completion,  taking  fire  from  one  of  the 
numerous  prairie  fires.  He  then  built  in 
the  \'illage  a  small  house  and  there  resided 
four  years  while  opening  up  the  farm. 
Erecting  a  good  house  upon  the  place,  he 
removed  to  the  farm  and  there  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  tiying  in  June,  1S64. 
His  wife  survived  him  and  passed  away  in 
June,  1885.  Of  their  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  two  daughters  yet  sur- 
\ive. 

.\sher  I^owner  was  reart^d  at  .Xiirma  and 
on  the  old  homestead  near  that  place,  and 
had  but  common-school  advantages.  He 
remained  with  his  father  until  twentv-five 
years  of  age  and  assisted  him  in  carrying  on 


ASHER    DOWNER. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


207 


the  home  farm.  In  1S58,  at  Batavia,  Illi- 
nois, he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Curtis,  a  native  of  New  York  and 
a  daughter  of  Ephraim  Curtis,  an  early  set- 
tler of  Kane  county.  By  this  union  were 
three  children.  Fred  C,  H.  C.  and  Mary  S., 
all  of  whom  yet  remain  at  home,  the  sons 
assisting  in  the  farm  work  and  the  daughter 
now  acting  as  housekeeper   for  the  family. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage.  Mr. 
Downer  came  to  De  Kalb  county  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
acres  of  raw  prairie  land,  purchased  by  his 
father  in  Milan  township,  and  at  a  time 
when  there  were  but  few  settlers  in  the 
township.  Erecting  a  small  house,  he 
commenced  breaking  the  ground  and  placing 
the  farm  under  cultivation.  Success 
crowned  his  efforts,  and  he  after  added  to 
his  possessions  until  he  now  owns  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  all  in  one  body.  The 
small  house  originallj-  erected  has  given 
place  to  a  larger  and  more  substantial  one, 
and  a  large  barn  has  been  built  together 
with  various  outbuildings  and  over  three 
miles  of  hedge  fence  enclosed  the  place. 
The  pumps  which  supply  the  stock  with 
water  are  operated  by  a  gasoline  engine 
which  also  runs  a  feed  mill  that  grinds  feed 
for  the  stock.  The  farm  is  one  of  the  best 
improved  in  De  Kalb  count)'. 

-Mrs.  Downer,  who  for  thirty  years  was 
indeed  a  helpmeet  to  her  husband,  passed 
to  her  reward  in  December.  1888,  leaving 
not  only  the  family,  but  manv  friends  to 
mourn  her  loss.  Politically  Mr.  Downer 
has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  party.  He  never  desired  nor 
would  he  ever  hold  office,  preferring  to  give 
his  time  and  attention  to  his  business  inter- 
ests. Both  sons  are  also  stanch  Repub- 
licans, H.  C.  having  been  elected  and  serv- 


ing as  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years. 
For  fifty-eight  years  Mr.  Downer  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  state  and  for  forty  years  a 
resident  of  De  Kalb  county.  In  its  devel- 
opemnt  it  will  certainly  be  acknowledged 
that  he  has  done  his  full  share. 


HECTOR  H.  COLEMAN,  for  many 
years  was  one  of  the  leading  agricult- 
uralists of  Mayfield  township,  was  born 
March  11.  1837,  '"  Orange  county.  New 
York,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Phoebe 
;  Ketcham)  Coleman,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  same  county,  the  former  born 
November  8.  1791,  and  the  latter  .\ugust 
25.  1805.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  one  besides  our  subject, 
Charles  \\'.,  is  yet  surviving.  B}"  a  former 
marriage  there  were  ten  children,  of  whom 
the  following  are  living:  John,  residing  in 
New  York  City;  James  H.,  at  Sing  Sing, 
New  York;  Hiram,  in  Johnston,  Michigan. 
John  Coleman,  the  father,  was  by  occu- 
pation a  farmer,  and  in  early  life  was  a 
Whig,  and  later  a  Republican.  Religiously 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
During  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain 
he  served  acceptably  as  one  of  the  members 
of  a  New  York  regiment.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Orange  county.  New  York,  No- 
vember 9,  1859.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  years,  dying  December  i,  1890,  in 
her  eighty-sixth  year,  at  the  home  of  her  son 
in  Mayfield  township.  The  Coleman  fam- 
ily were  established  in  the  United  States  in 
a  very  early  day,  three  brothers  coming 
from  England,  locating  on  Long  island 
about  1760,  and  from  there  moving  to 
Orange  county.  New  York,  settling  near 
Goshen,  where  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 


2o8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ject,     Nathan     Coleman,    and  great-grand- 
father lived  and  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm  in  Orange  county,  and  there 
received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  In  October,  1875,  he  started  for 
the  west,  coming  direct  to  DeKalb  count\ , 
locating  on  section  i,  Mayfield  townshiji, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  there  re- 
mained until  1897,  when  he  built  a  nice 
residence  on  Main  street,  Sycamore,  to 
which  he  removed.  He  acquired  in  May- 
field  township  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  land,  which  he  still  owns  and  where 
he  carried  on  general  farming.  He  now 
leases  his  farm  and  is  living  a  <|uiet,  retired 
life.  In  addition  to  his  fatnil\-  residence, 
he  is  also  the  owner  of  another  dwelling  in 
the  city  of  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  married  November  30, 
1861,  in  Mayfield  township,  to  Mary  K. 
Mackey,  daughter  of  Harrison  and  Mary 
(Hall)  Mackey.  She  is  a  native  of  Orange 
county.  New  Yoik,  and  came  west  with  her 
parents  when  quite  young.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Ulster  ctjunty.  New  York,  and  set- 
tled in  Mayfield  township,  in  the  spring 
of  1839.  locating  on  government  land, 
being  farther  back  on  the  prairie  than 
any  other  family.  Her  father  died  August 
22,  1S90,  but  her  mother  died  many  years 
before,  her  death  occurring  January  22, 
1856,  in  Mayfield  township.  She  was  a 
native  of  Sullivan  county,  New  York,  and 
was  the  mother  of  three  children — Mary  R. , 
Eliza  J.  and  Julia  A.  The  latter,  who  was  the 
wife  of  John  Westlake,  died  April  8,  1869. 
Eliza  J.  is  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Parker,  of 
Sycamore. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coleman  have  one  child, 
Harrison  M.,  born  February  19,  1863.  He 
grew  to  manhood  in  Mayfield  township,  and 


there  married  Katharine  Ells,  August  28, 
1886.  She  is  the  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  Ells.  They  have  two  children — 
Ruth  and  Clare.  They  reside  on  section  i  i, 
Mayfield  township,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  old  farm  of  his  grandfather, 
Harrison  Mackey. 

In  politics  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  Republican, 
in  the  principles  of  which  party  he  has  un- 
bounded faith.  By  his  fellow-citizens  he 
was  elected  school  director,  and  has  also 
held  other  local  positions.  He  and  his 
wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  in  the  work  of  which 
they  take  special  interest.  As  a  farmer, 
Mr.  Coleman  has  aided  largely  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  agricultural  interests  of  De 
Kalb  county.  As  a  citizen  he  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem,  having  many  friends 
scattered  throughout  the  county. 


JAMES  LANE,  who  resides  on  section  13, 
Shabbona  township,  has  a  fine  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres,  lying  in 
sections  13  and  24.  He  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, born  m  Dartford,  near  London,  No- 
vember 23.  1836,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (Luxford)  Lane,  both  of  whom 
were  also  natives  of  England,  where  their 
entire  lives  were  passed.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  grew 
to  mature  years.  In  his  native  country 
James  Lane  grew  to  manhood,  his  educa- 
tional advantages  being  very  limited.  On 
the  23d  of  May,  1858,  he  was  married  in 
Kent,  England,  to  Ann  Maria  Johnson,  a 
native  of  England,  who  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated at  Kent.  One  year  later,  with  his 
young  bride,  he  took  ship  at  the  London 
dock  in  a  sailing  vessel,  the  Uaniel  Webster, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


209 


for  the  United  States,  and  were  seven  weeks 
on  the  broad  .Atlantic,  during  which  time 
they  encountered  several  severe  storms,  in 
one  of  which  the  main  mast  of  the  vessel 
was  carried  away.  They  arrived  in  New 
York  in  May,  1859,  and  immediately  came 
west  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Somonauk,  De 
Kalb  county,  where  Mr.  Lane  had  an  aunt 
residing. 

On  his  arrival  in  Somonauk  Mr.  Lane 
went  to  work  on  a  farm,  working  by  the 
month  for  one  year.  He  then  rented  a  farm 
and  continued  to  rent  until  1874,  when  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  on  section  24,  Shab- 
bona  township,  located  therson,  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  himself.  After  residing  there 
some  four  or  five  \ears  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres  adjoining,  which 
was  fairly  well  improved,  and  on  which  was 
a  dwelling  housfe,  which  he  remodeled,  and 
into  which  he  moved  with  his  family,  and 
has  there  since  continued  to  reside.  In  the 
twent\"-four  years  that  he  has  resided  upon 
that  farm  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a 
model  farmer  and  has  been  very  successful 
in  all  his  undertakings.  In  addition  to  gen- 
eral farming  he  has  been  somewhat  exten- 
sively 'engaged  in  dairying  and  has  some 
good  graded  stock. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane  are  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  seven  of  whom  were  born  in 
La  Salle  county  and  two  in  De  Kalb  county. 
Illinois.  Henr}'  G.  grew  to  manhood,  mar- 
ried and  is  now  engaged  in  farming  in  Shab- 
bona  township.  Edgar  .A.  died  in  child- 
hood. Maude  M.  is  the  wife  of  Louis  Olm- 
stead,  a  substantial  farmer  of  Shabbona 
township.  Ella  M.  is  the  wife  of  J.  Clap- 
saddle,  of  Shabbona.  Elmer  E.  is  married 
and  engaged  in  farming  in  Shabbona  town- 
ship. .Arthur  resides  in  Iowa.  Charles  J. 
assists  in  carrying  on   the  home  farm.      Os- 


car E.  now  resides  in  Wisconsin.      Freder- 
ick, a  young  man.  resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Lane  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  with  which  he  has  been  con- 
nected since  becoming  a  naturalized  citizen. 
He  has  never  sought  office,  but  has  served 
four  years  as  commissioner  of  highways, 
and  is  treasurer  of  the  commission.  With 
the  exception  of  school  director,  that  is  the 
only  office  that  he  has  held.  He  and  his 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Shabbona 
Congregational  church,  in  which  he  has 
been  a  deacon  for  sixteen  years.  He  is  also 
a  worker  and  speaker  in  the  Sunday  school, 
having  a  class  of  young  ladies,  which  he 
has  instructed  for  four  years.  The  first 
years  after  the  building  of  the  railroad,  he 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  schools. 
Fraternally  he  is  an  .Ancient  Odd  Fellow, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  order  in  Eng- 
land. For  thirty-nine  years  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  Illinois,  and  while  he  came  to 
this  country  without  means,  by  his  industry 
and  economy,  assisted  by  his  good  wife,  he 
has  been  fairlv  successful  in  life. 


JOSEPH  O.  WALRAD,  manager  of  the 
Ellwood  farms  in  Afton  township,  is  a 
native  of  Otsego  county.  New  York,  born 
January  28,  1834,  and  is  the  son  of  Liv- 
ingston and  Nancy  A.  (Ellwood)  Walrad. 
who  were  also  natives  of  Otsego  county. 
New  York,  and  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Joseph  O.,  our  subject,  and  James,  who  is 
now  deceased.  The  paternal  grandfather. 
Garret  M.  Walrad,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  181 2.  Livingston  Walrad,  the  father, 
came  to  De  Kalb  county  in  1846,  and  set- 
tled near  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Sycamore,  where  he  bought  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  government  land,  but 


2IO 


thp:  biographical  record. 


after  nine  years  sold  out  and  returned  to 
New  York. 

When  his  parents  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  our  subject  was  but  twelve  years  of 
age.  His  education,  began  in  the  |)ublic 
schools  of  New  York,  was  completed  in  the 
common  schools  of  De  Kalb  county.  In 
1859  he  made  the  overland  journey  to  Cali- 
fornia, experiencing  many  hardships  in 
going  and  losing  nearly  all  that  he  had. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  he  was  taken  sick  and 
for  si.\  weeks  was  taken  care  of  by  a  family 
by  the  name  of  Wilson,  who  did  as  well  by 
him  as  could  be  done,  making  no  charges 
whatever  for  their  time  and  trouble,  but 
doing  all  through  kindness  and  with  onl\ 
the  desire  to  aid  one  of  their  fellowmen. 
Regaining  his  health,  he  commenced  work 
and  prospered  exceedingly,  clearing  in  a 
comparatively  short  time  some  fifteen 
thousand  dollars,  but  lost  about  seven 
thousand  five  hundred  by  loaning  to  friends. 
Returning  to  Sycamore  in  1884,  he  engaged 
in  farming  and  in  1S87  took  charge  of  the 
lillwood  stock  farm  as  manager  and  super- 
intendent. The  farm  comprises  about  seven 
hundred  and  forty-four  acres,  and  is  de- 
voted to  stock  and  grain  business,  ten  men 
being  given  employment  during  the  entire 
year. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1865,  Mr.  Wal- 
rad  married  Miss  Libbie  Helmer,  a  native 
of  Herkimer  county,  New  York.  They 
have  no  children,  but  have  an  adopted 
daughter,  May.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason 
and  religiously  he  is  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  since  he  was  si.xteen 
years  of  age.  For  ten  years  he  has  served 
as  class  leader  in  the  church,  and  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  church  affairs. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.      In  addition 


to  his  regular  business  he  is  interested  in 
the  building  and  loan  association  of  De 
Kalb,  and  in  Calhoun  county,  Iowa,  he  has 
one  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  of  well 
improved  land. 


CHARLES  W.  GARNER,  dealer  in 
drugs  and  groceries,  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  best  business  men  of  De  Kalb. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  city,  born  October  16, 
1858,  and  is  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Eli/a 
(Rolfe)  Garner,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  England,  the  former  born  in  1832  and 
the  latter  in  1830.  The}'  were  married  in 
the  spring  of  1855,  ^""^  their  voyage  to  this 
country  the  same  j'ear  was  their  wedding 
trip.  By  trade  he  was  a  shoemaker,  and 
after  his  location  in  De  Kalb,  in  1855, 
worked  at  it  for  twenty  years  in  that  city. 
He  was  a  superior  workman,  and  his  manu- 
facture always  gave  excellent  satisfaction. 
In  1875,  he  abandoned  his  trade  in  a  meas- 
ure, and  took  charge  of  the  shoe  department 
in  the  store  of  A.  Chandler,  where  he  was 
an  efficient  employee  for  a  number  of  years. 
Mr.  Chandler  was  succeeded  by  Tyndall  & 
Brown,  and  in  the  course  of  years  Brown 
bought  out  Tyndall's  interest,  and  finally 
C.  A.  Read  bought  out  Brown.  Still  Mr. 
Garner  continued  to  fill  his  wellearned  po- 
sition in  the  store,  enjoying  the  full  confi- 
dence of  each  employer.  On  May  20,  1886, 
with  his  son,  Charles  W.,  he  purchased 
the  stock  of  drugs  and  groceries  of  John  H. 
Lewis,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Garner  & 
Son,  continued  the  business  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  10,  1898.  He  was 
much  respected  for  his  personal  merits  and 
social  worth.  For  some  time  he  served  as 
one  of  the  members  of  the  city  council,  an 
office  which  he  filled  with  honor  and  credit. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


311 


He  was  a  Mason  of  high  standing  and 
reached  the  thirtj'-second  degree.  His  wife 
survives  him.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  Lizzie  and  Emily 
are  deceased,  while  John  P.  and  Charles  W. 
are  still  living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  in  De  Kalb,  and  when  eight- 
een years  of  age  he  entered  the  store  of 
John  H.  Lewis,  where  he  proved  himself  in- 
dispensible  to  his  employer  for  many  years. 
In  1886.  as  already  stated,  in  partnership 
with  his  father,  he  purchased  the  store  of 
Mr.  Lewis,  and  on  the  death  of  the  father 
succeeded  alone  to  the  business,  which  has 
grown  to  considerable  magnitude.  In  July, 
1895,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elva  Beaupre,  a  native  of  De  Kalb,  born 
January  23,  187 1,  and  a  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Sarah  Beaupre,  of  De  Kalb.  They 
have  now  one  child.  Charles  Wicks.  Mr. 
Garner  has  served  his  native  citv  in  the 
office  of  city  treasurer  for  two  years.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Mason,  and  has  reached 
the  position  of  Knight  Templar,  having 
held  every  office  in  the  \arious  lodges,  but 
that  of  tyler  and  junior  warden. 


JAMES  E.  HARRINGTON,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  life  insurance  business,  at 
Sycamore,  is  a  native  of  the  city,  born  Au- 
gust 13.  1 866,  and  is  the  son  of  Nelson  R. 
and  Sarah  F.  (Waterman)' Harrington,  the 
former  born  January  7,  1844,  and  who  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Sycamore  township  for 
many  years,  and  then  retired  to  Sycamore. 
He  was  city  marshal  of  Sycamore  for  years, 
and  served  four  years  in  the  Civil  war,  as  a 
member  of  Company  F.  Thirteenth  Regi- 
ment, Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
a    prominent    member   of    the   Independent 


Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  His  wife,  Sarah  Water- 
man, was  a  daughter  of  Edward  Waterman, 
a  native  of  Kent  count}-,  England,  who 
came  to  America  in  1848,  and  lived  in  New 
York  for  several  years  and  then  went  to 
Petersburg,  \'irginia;  here  his  death  oc- 
curred when  about  tifty  years  old.  He 
worked  for  a  large  contractor,  building 
plank  roads  in  New  York  and  X'irginia. 
He  was  the  son  of  Edward  Waterman,  Sr. , 
also  a  native  of  Kent  county,  England,  wh(j 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1848,  and  died 
in  Buffalo.  New  York,  when  about  eighty 
years  old.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Dr. 
James  Harrington,  who  married  a  Miss 
Walrod.  was  born  in  New  York  in  1806, 
and  died  in  1892. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  when  but  a 
year  old.  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Sauk 
Center.  Minnesota,  where  he  later  attended 
school  until  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  He 
then  spent  two  years  in  Ann  Arbor.  Mich- 
igan, where  an  uncle,  Mark  W.  Harrington, 
was  professor  of  astronomy  in  the  Universitv 
of  Michigan.  One  year  in  the  Sycamore 
high  school  completed  his  school  life. 
From  the  age  of  fifteen  he  has  made  his 
own  wa\'  in  the  world.  He  clerked  first  in 
a  drug  store  in  Sycamore  for  twelve  years, 
in  the  meantime  taking  a  course  in  the  Chi- 
cago College  of  Pharmacy,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1886.  For  three  years 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  Sivwright,  Irish 
&  Johnson.  Since  January  i,  1898,  he  has 
been  the  general  agent  for  the  New  York 
Life  Insurance  Company. 

Mr.  Harrington  was 'married  in  Syca- 
more, November  30,  1886,  to  Miss  Nellie 
Walker,  born  in  Yirgil  township,  Kane  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  and  daughter  of  John  N.  and 
Hannah  1  Wilson^  Walker,  the  former  a  na- 


212 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tive  of  Hamilton,  Canada,  born  August  i^, 
1820,  and  who  came  to  Illinois,  loratinjj  in 
Virgil  township,  Kane  county,  in  18.^1. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Staun- 
ton) Walker,  and  was  married  in  Campton 
township,  Kane  count}',  July  11,  1847.  to 
Hannah  Wilson,  born  in  Dunham,  Darling- 
ton county,  Canada,  and  who  came  with 
her  parents  to  Illinois,  in  1843,  locating  in 
Campton  township,  Kane  county.  Her 
father.  Ji>hn  Wilson,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  went  to  Canada,  where  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Pickel,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Smith)  Pickel.  John  Wilson  was 
the  son  of  [anies  and  Deborah  (Bennett) 
Wilson,  the  former  a  sc^n  of  James  \\'ilson, 
Sr. ,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  ran  away  to 
sea,  became  captain  of  a  vessel,  and  fol- 
lowed the  sea  for  many  }'ears.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harrington  three  children  have  been 
born:    Joyce  M.,  Grace  O.  and  Frank. 

Fraternal  1\'  Mr.  Harrington  is  a  Mason, 
holding  membership  with  the  subordinate 
lodge  and  chapter  at  Sycamore.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men,  Knights  of  the 
Globe  and  Sons  of  \eterans.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  now  serving  as 
alderman  from  the  third  ward.  He  is  a 
thoroughly  progressive  man,  and  has  man}- 
friends  not  only  in  Sycamore,  but  through- 
out De  Kalb  count)'. 


FRANK  E.  GAMMON  resides  on  section 
8,  Malta  township,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  general  farming.  He  was  born  on  sec- 
tion 7,  of  the  same  township,  July  13,  1867, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  G.  and  Jane  A.  (Ben- 
nett) Gammon,  both  natives  of  England. 
The  former  emigrated  to  this  country  about 
1848,  locating  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  where 


an  uncle  and  aunt,  Henry  and  Mary  Gam- 
mon, then  resided.  .About  1S50,  his  uncle, 
with  his  family.  roiiK^ved  to  De  Kalb  county. 
Illini)is,  at  which  tunc  he  accompanied  them, 
and  with  whom  he  lived  as  a  farmer  boy, 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when 
he  showed  his  patriotism  towards  his  adopted 
country  by  being  enrolled  as  one  of  her 
defenders  in  Company  K,  Fifteenth  Illinois 
Cavalry,  under  Captain  Ford.  He  served 
his  full  term  of  service,  participating  in  all 
the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  en- 
gaged during  the  three  years.  After  being 
honorably  discharged,  he  re-enlisted  in  Han- 
cock's Veteran  Corps,  with  which  he  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
again  honorably  discharged  as  corporal. 
On  receiving  his  discharge,  James  G.  Gam- 
mon returned  to  his  native  land,  where  he 
secured  his  life  companion  in  the  person  of 
Miss  Jane  A.  Bennett,  whom  he  married 
May  31,  1866.  They  became  the  parents 
of  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  liv- 
ing— Frank  E.,  Henry  B.  and  Jessie  A. 
The  latter  married  Burton  L.  Kittle,  a  grain 
broker  in  Chicago.  Henry  B.  is  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  who  after  having  mastered  the 
common  and  advanced  branches  in  the  Cres- 
ton  schools,  entered  Michigan  University  at 
Ann  Arbor,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated.  .\t  the  present  writing  (June, 
1898)  he  is  at  the  front  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war  and  has  charge  of  a  hospital 
near  Santiago. 

Frank  E.  Gammon  is  the  eldest  of  the 
family.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
township,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Creston.  W'ith  the  exception  of  a  short 
time  spent  in  a  machine  shop,  he  has  always 
confined  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  has  lived  on  his  present  farm  for  twelve 
years.      On  May  18,   1890,  he  married  Miss 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


2  1^, 


Clara  A.  Foster,  a  native  of  Waverly,  Iowa, 
born  December  lo.  1869.  and  a  daughter  of 
Jofin  and  Carrie  Foster.  By  this  union 
three  children  have  been  born:  Neil  J..  Alta 
M.  and  Clifford.  Mr.  Gammon  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  mem- 
bership with  Creston  Lodge,  No.  330,  of 
which  he  is  worshipful  master.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. No.  474,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Politically  he  is  an  out  and  out  Republican. 


THOMAS  S.  DALE  is  an  enterprising 
farmer  residing  on  section  9,  Squaw 
Grove  township,  where  he  owns  a  valuable 
and  well  impro\ed  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  is  a  native  of  England, 
born  in  Durham  county  July  2.  18 19,  and 
is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Ann  (Stoddard) 
Dale,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  the  same 
count}'.  In  his  native  land  the  father  grew 
to  manhood  and  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  Heemigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  1852  and  settled  in  Big  Rock  township; 
Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  purchased 
a  farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
In  his  famii\-  were  nine  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters, ail  of  whom  grew  to  mature  years, 
five  now  surviving. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Durham  county,  and  there  received 
a  fair  education.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
but  spent  some  of  the  early  years  of  his  life 
in  a  grocery  store,  where  he  received  a  thor- 
ough business  training.  He  was  married  in 
Jarrow,  England.  February  10.  1845.  to 
Ann  Mc.\rdle,  a  native  of  South  Shield, 
Durham  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Rachell  (Di.xon)  McArdle.  In  1852, 
with  his  wife  and  two  children,  he  emigrated 
to  the  United   States,  taking  ship  at   I^iver- 


pool.  and  being  five  weeks  on  the  Atlantic. 
They  arrived  in  safety  in  New  York,  took  a 
steamer  at  Dunkirk,  New  York,  and  came 
by  Detroit  and  Lakes  to  Chicago,  Illinois, 
where  he  secured  employment  in  Cleaver's 
Soap  and  Candle  Factory,  and  made  his 
home  for  three  years  in  that  city.  In  1855 
he  moved  to  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Big  Rock 
township  on  which  he  resided  some  fi\e  or 
si.x  years,  then  sold  and  in  186:  came  to 
De  Kalb  county,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  improved  land, 
the  farm  on  which  he  yet  continues  to  re- 
side. Many  of  the  improvements  now  upon 
the  place  are  the  work  of  his  hands.  He 
has  tiled  the  land  well  and  cultivated  it 
closely,  being  \ery  successful  in  his  farming 
operations.  He  came  to  the  county  with 
some  means  and  by  his  own  labor,  enter- 
prise and  industry,  has  accumulated  a  com- 
petency. His  farm  is  located  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  from  Hinckley. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dale  are  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  si.x  of  whom  are  living,  as  fol- 
lows: James,  married  and  now  residing  in 
Calhoun  county,  Iowa,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  fanning;  Mary,  wife  of  W.  K.  Owens,  of 
Calhoun  county.  Iowa;  \\"illiam.  residing  at 
home,  assisting  in  carrying  on  the  home 
farm;  Ada.  also  residing  at  home;  Jennie, 
wife  of  C.  \\".  Owens,  residing  in  Calhoun 
county.  Iowa;  and  Stoddard,  who  remains  at 
home  and  assists  in  cultivating  the  farm. 
The  deceased  are  John,  who  died  when 
about  one  year  old;  Thomas,  who  grew  to 
mature  years  and  died  a  single  man;  and 
.Anna,  who  died  a  young  lady. 

Politically  Mr.  Dale  is  independent, 
casting  his  ballot  as  his  conscience  dictates 
without  regard  to  party  ties.  For  some 
years    he    served    as    school    director,    but 


214 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


would  never  accept  other  office.  Both  lie 
and  his  wife  were  reared  in  the  Episcopalian 
faith.  A  resident  of  Illinois  for  fort)'-si.\ 
years  and  of  De  Kalb  county  for  thirty-six 
years,  he  is  well  known  throughout  its 
length  and  breadth.  In  the  many  changes 
that  ha\  f  been  made,  he  has  given  material 
assistance,  anil  has  lived  to  see  the  (la\' 
when  De  Kalb  county  is  ranked  among  the 
best  in  the  state.  He  is  respected  by  all 
who  know  him  and  is  one  of  the  best  riti- 
;«ens  of  his  township  and  county. 


HON.  1'Ki:i)i:rick  h.  towxsend, 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Sycamore,  is  a 
well-known  representative  of  the  business 
and  financial  interests  of  De  Kalb  countv. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  county,  born  in  the 
township  of  Malta,  July  30,  1858,  and  is 
the  son  of  Amos  W.  and  Eleanor  ( Pierce) 
Townsend.  His  father,  who  was  the  son 
of  Stephen  and  Ann  (Denman)  Townsend, 
was  a  native  of  Sulli\  an  countj',  New  York, 
and  when  nine  years  of  age  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  parents,  who  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  Mayfield,  De  Kalb  county.  Stephen 
Townsend,  the  grandfather,  was  a  native  of 
Sullivan  county.  New  York,  born  June  _^o, 
1807.  His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  that 
county,  born  August  15,  1809.  Stephen 
Townsend  was  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Phrebe 
Townsend,  who  were  likewise  natives  of 
Sullivan  county.  New  York,  and  who  came 
west  in  1839  with  their  son.  Both  are 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Maytield. 
Stephen  Townsend,  who  died  some  years 
ago,  is  also  buried  in  that  cemeterw  His 
wife,  Ann  Townsend,  is  still  living  at  Syca- 
more at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  They 
had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity.     Eleanor,  the  wife  of    Luther    Jack- 


man,  resides   in   Oregon.      Nancv,  the   wife 
of    Orrin   West,    living    at    Plainfield,  Iowa. 
Katy   B.,  wife   of   F".  H.  Brundage,  died   at 
Malta,  Illinois,  in  1896.      William  H.  is  liv- 
ing in  Sycamore.      Hattie   E.,  also  living  in 
Sycamore.      Amos  W.,    who   was   third  in 
order  of  birth,  is  the  father  of  our  subject. 
Amos  W.  Townsend   grew   to    manhood 
in  Maytield   township   and  was   educated    in 
the    common    schools.       He   was  reared   to 
farm  life   and   engaged   in    stock  farming  in 
Malta  township  after  his  marriage,  and  there 
continued    until  1876,  when   he   engaged   in 
the    banking     business   at    Sycamore    as    a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Daniel  Pierce  &  Co., 
in  which  he   continued   until   his  death,  Au- 
gust   25,    1S87.      His   wife,    Eleanor   Town- 
send,    is    a    daughter    of    Daniel    and    [ane 
(Brundagei  Pierce.      She  is  a  native  of  Sul- 
livan  county,    New    ^'ork,    and   came    west 
with  her  parents,  wiio  located  at  Sycamore 
in  1855.      For  a. number  of  years  her  father 
was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  but 
upon  the  failure  of  D.   Hunt  &  Co.  he  com- 
menced the  banking  business  in  1866,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Pierce,  Dean  &  Co.     This 
was  afterward  changed   to   Pierce  &  Dean 
and     later    to    Daniel    Pierce    &    Co.,    the 
present  title  of  the   firm.      Daniel  Pierce  is 
still  living,  but    his  wife  died   in  1876.      He 
is  now  eighty-four  years  of  age  and   spends 
his  summers  on   a   farm    of  three    thousand 
acres  in    Dickinson   county,    Iowa,    and   his 
winters    in    Sycamore.       To   Daniel   Pierce 
and   wife   three  children  were   born,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.      They  are   Eleanor, 
mother  of  our  subject,  and  Sarah,  who  was 
the   wife   of    George  P.  Wild,  died    in  1896. 
The  children  of  Amos  and    Eleanor   Town- 
send  were  five  in  number,  as  follows;   Fred- 
erick B.,  our  subject;  Jennie,  now  the  wife 
of    Charles   A.  Webster,  of   Galesburg.   Illi- 


m 


HON.    F.   B.  TOWNSEND. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


217 


nois;  Anna,  who  married  F.  E.  Claycomb, 
of  Sycamore,  died  in  1892;  Georgia,  wife  of 
John  E.  Yates,  of  Round  Pond,  Maine;  and 
Mary,  at  home. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent 
in  Malta  township  on  the  stock  farm  of  his 
father,  where  he  remained  until  seventeen 
years  of  age.  His  primary  education  was 
obtained  in  the  district  schools  of  Malta 
township,  after  which  he  attended  the  high 
school  at  Sycamore,  and  later  entered  Lom- 
bard University,  at  Galesburg,  which  he  at- 
tended four  years,  pursuing  the  scientific 
course.  He  then  went  to  Eastman's  Busi- 
ness College,  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York, 
and  took  a  full  business  course.  Return- 
ing home  he  entered  the  banking  house  of 
Daniel  Pierce  &  Company,  with  which  he 
has  now  been  connected  for  seventeen  years 
and  where  he  is  now  the  managing  partner. 

Mr.  Townsend  was  married  February 
18,  1890,  at  Sycamore,  to  Mary  Boynton, 
a  native  of  Sycamore,  and  a  daughter  of 
Charles  O.  and  Lucetta  P.  (Stark)  Boyn- 
ton. She  was  educated  at  St.  Mary's  Sem- 
inary, Knoxville,  Illinois.  By  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born:  Charles  B., 
born  lanuary  i,  1892,  and  Eleanor,  born 
Decembers,  1895.  Religiously  Mrs.  Town- 
send  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal 
church,  Sycamore,  in  which  she  takes  an 
active  interest. 

In  politics  Mr.  Townsend  is  a  Democrat, 
the  principles  of  which  party  were  instilled 
into  him  from  his  youth.  By  his  fellow 
citizens  he  has  been  honored  with  various 
offices.  He  was  first  elected  alderman  of 
the  second  ward  in  1SS9,  and  was  annually 
re-elected  until  1893.  In  the  spring  of 
1S94  he  was  elected  mayor  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term  of  the  late  Dr.  George  W.  Nes- 

bitt.      He  was  re-elected  in  1895,  and  again 
11 


in  1897,  and  is  now  serving  his  third  term. 
In  1893  he  became  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education,  in  which  position  he  is  still  serv- 
ing. In  1892  he  was  presidential  elector  for 
Grover  Cleveland.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason,  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge,  chap- 
ter, and  Sycamore  Commandery,  No.  15, 
K.  T. ,  at  Sycamore,  and  of  Medinah  Tem- 
ple, A.  A.  O.  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
Chicago. 

That  Mr.  Townsend  is  a  very  busy  man 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  has  charge  of 
some  twenty-tive  farms  in  De  Kalb  county, 
which  belong  to  the  Daniel  Pierce  and 
Townsend  estates,  also  some  five  thousand 
acres  in  Iowa  belonging  to  the  Daniel  Pierce 
estate,  together  with  large  tracts  of  land  on 
the  Red  River  of  the  North.  The  private 
banking  house  of  Daniel  Pierce  &  Co.,  of 
which  Mr.  Townsend  is  now  the  manager, 
has  been  doing  business  for  over  thirty-one 
3'ears,  and  has  the  confidence  of  the  public 
to  a  high  degree.  The  average  deposits  are 
about  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

For  his  years  Mr.  Townsend  has  shown 
remarkable  financial  and  executive  ability, 
and  the  large  moneyed  and  landed  interests 
placed  in  his  hands  are  managed  with  rare 
skill.  His  popularity  among  the  people  is 
evidenced  by  his  being  elected  for  the  third 
time  as  mayor  in  a  Republican  city,  he  be- 
ing a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  is  a  man  of 
social  characteristics,  winning  in  manner, 
and  one  of  the  rising  young  men  of  De  Kalb 
county. 


JOHN  II.  UPLINGER,  dealer  in  hard- 
ware, general  merchandise,  and  farm- 
ing implements,  is  one  of  Kingston's  best 
known  and  most  highly  respected  citizens. 
He  has  the  largest  hardware  store  in  the  vil- 


2l8 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


lage,  and  has  a  large  and  extensive  trade.  He 
was  born  in  Butler  township,  Luzerne 
countv,  Pennsylvania,  July  15,  1S52,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Eiii^abeth  (Wood) 
Uplinger,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the 
same  state.  The  father  for  some  years  en- 
gaged in  butchering,  but  finally  gave  it  up 
for  the  more  quiet  but  less  lucrative  busi- 
ness of  fanning.  He  came  west  with  his 
family  in  1866,  locating  in  Kingston  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  good  improved  land, 
besides  several  other  parcels  of  land,  which 
he' disposed  of  from  time  to  time.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  October  6,  1893.  he  was 
the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
land.      His  wife's  death  occurred  in    July, 

1897. 

Of  the  family  of   thirteen   children  born 
to    John  and    Elizabeth  Uplinger,  our   sub- 
ject was  sixth  in   order  of   birth.      He  was 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Kingston,  Illinois.      His  edu- 
cation, begun  in  the  public  schools  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  completed   in  the  schools  of 
Kingston.      He  lived  at  home  with  his  par- 
ents,   assisting  in  the  farm   work,    until    he 
reached  his  twenty-fourth  year,    at   which 
time  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  in 
Kingston,  opening  his  place  of   business  in 
December,  1875.      For  twenty-three  years 
he  has  continued   in  that  line,  and  while  he 
has  been   uniformly   successful  in   his  busi- 
ness he  has  yet  met  with  some  losses.      On 
the  29th  of  January,  1886,  he  experienced  a 
serious    loss  by   fire,    losing  nearly  all  his 
stock,  amounting  to  four  thousand  dollars. 
In  August  of  the  same  year  he  was  re-estab- 
lished again,  and  is  now,  as  formerly,  doing 
an  extensive  business,  and   having  the  full 
confidence  of  the  community  at  large. 

On   the    28th   of    April,    1880,    he    was 


joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  McDole, 
a  native  of  Chemung  county,  New  York, 
born  in  1855,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Catherine  McDole,  who  were  early  settlers 
of  De  Kalb  county.  Like  his  father  before 
him,  Mr.  Uplinger  is  a  stanch  Democrat, 
and  served  two  terms  as  postmaster  of 
Kingston  under  President  Cleveland.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternit)',  and 
was  raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Master 
Mason,  September  20,  1877.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


I 


JAMES  LEISHMAN,  dentist,  No.  235 
Main  street,  De  Kalb,  Illinois. — There 
was  a  time  when  the  ingenious  mechanic 
with  steady  nerve,  forceps  and  turnscrew 
could  hang  out  his  sign  and  go  to  work  un- 
challenged. Now  things  have  changed  and 
not  only  must  the  dentist  have  nerve  and 
muscle,  but  he  must  be  a  man  of  refinement 
and  culture,  who  by  a  course  of  study  and 
training  has  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  dental  surgery.  No  other  profession  has 
made  greater  strides  to  the  front  than  has 
dentistry.  Closely  connected  with  the  med- 
ical profession,  it  is  not  a  science  to  be  ac- 
quired simply  by  study,  but  its  conditions 
are  ever  changing,  and  the  practice  which 
was  in  vogue  in  one  age  is  obsolete  in  the 
next;  therefore,  experience  is  a  sure  and  true 
road  to  higher  attainments.  We  revere  the 
learned  and  experienced  physician,  but  no 
less  the  cultured  and  practical  dentist.  It 
is,  therefore,  with  pleasure  that  we  record 
the  biography  of  James  Leishman,  one  of 
De  Kalb's  foremost  dentists. 

James  Leishman  was  born  in  South 
Grove  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
December  22,  1854,  and  is  the  son  of  James 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


119 


and  Margaret  (Brown)  Leishman,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Scotland.  The  father 
was  a  skilled  mechanic,  who,  while  j'et  a 
young  man,  came  to  the  United  States,  and 
shortly  after  his  arrival  married  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Morton,  nee  Brown,  and  by  this  union 
were  born  two  children,  James  and  David. 
The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years,  Mr.  Leishman  surviving  her  and  dj'- 
ing  at  the  age  of  eighty  \'ears.  They  were 
both  noble  people,  honest  to  a  fault,  and  of 
good  repute  in  the  neighborhood  where  they 
resided.  Members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  they  took  an  acti\e  interest 
in  all  church  and  benevolent   work. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  at  Sycamore,  where  he  at- 
tended the  high  school,  and  after  completing 
his  course  of  stud}'  he  turned  his  attention 
to  dentistrj',  at  which  time  he  became  a  stu- 
dent at  Philadelphia,  taking  a  course  in  den- 
tal surger}-.  In  1881  he  returned  to  De  I-ialb 
county  and  opened  an  office  in  the  city  of 
De  Kalb  for  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  where  he  has  remained  to  the  present 
time.  His  office  is  commodious  and  com- 
fortable and  supplied  with  all  the  modern 
appliances  known  to  the  profession. 

On  December  2,  1885,  Dr.  Leishman 
was  joined  by  marriage  with  Miss  Jessie  M 
Carter,  a  native  of  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  and  a 
daughter  of  Orlando  and  Huldah  (White) 
Carter,  the  former  a  native  of  Chenango 
county.  New  York,  and  the  latter  also  of 
New  York.  By  this  union  one  child  has 
been  born,  Walter  Bruce,  now  attending 
the  public  schools  of  De  Kalb. 

Dr.  Leishman  is  the  carver  of  his  own 
fortune.  He  is  one  of  that  number  who 
have  risen  to  a  position  of  eminence  in  his 
profession  by  virtue  of  intrinsic  qualities 
that  are  inherent  in  his  nature  and  that  are 


wholly  incompatible  with  failure.  Early 
disciplined  in  the  rigid  school  of  self-depend- 
ence, unaided  by  those  extraneous  influ- 
ences, which,  while  they  smooth  the  path- 
way and  lighten  the  responsibilities  of  youth, 
tend  only  to  weaken  the  physical  and  moral 
nature. of  man,  he  has  pressed  on  to  success 
in  his  profession.  He  possesses  social  qual- 
ities in  an  eminent  degree,  with  good  con- 
versational powers,  with  a  mixture  of  humor, 
which  makes  him  a  genial  companion,  as 
well  as  a  warm-hearted  and  true  friend,  ever 
ready  to  greet  an  acquaintance  or  entertain 
a  visitor.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  and 
also  a  member  of  the  Modern  W'oodmen  of 
America.  In  educational  matters  he  has 
alwaj's  been  interested  and  is  now  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board 


ORRIN  M.  NORTON,  who  resides  on 
section  2,  Squaw  Grove  township, 
where  he  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  five 
hundred  and  forty-five  acres,  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1S36  and  is  therefore  justly  entitled 
to  the  name  of  pioneer.  He  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  born  in  Geauga  county,  November 
27,  1825.  His  grandfather,  Phineas  Nor- 
ton, was  a  native  of  Scotland,  a  pioneer  of 
Vermont  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  His  father,  Robert  Norton,  was  a 
native  of  Vermont,  born  in  1785,  and  who, 
as  a  young  man,  moved  to  Geauga  count}', 
Ohio,  where  he  cleared  a  tract  of  land  and 
engaged  in  active  farm  life.  He  there  mar- 
ried Louisa  Monroe,  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, her  father,  Joseph  Monroe,  being  a 
pioneer  of  Ohio.  The  Monroes  are  of 
Scotch  and  English  descent. 

In  1836  Robert  Norton  removed  with 
his  family  to  Kane  county,  Illinois,  located 
near  the  village  of   Big  Rock,  where  he  re- 


220 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


sided  for  some  years,  then  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  and  purchased  the  farm  where 
our  subject  now  resides,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1845,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years.  His  wife  survived  him  man}'  3-ears, 
dying  in  1878.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  children,  our  subject  being  the  .eldest. 
Ora  T.  married  Robert  Waudby  and  re- 
sides in  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  Mary  Jane  mar- 
ried David  Harmon,  of  De  Kalb  county. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  Illi- 
nois when  eleven  years  of  age,  his  boyhood 
and  youth  being  spent  in  Kane  and  De  Kalb 
counties.  The  education  he  received  in  the 
pioneer  schools  was  very  meager,  but  he 
has  since  become  a  well  informed  man  by 
reading  and  observation.  He  remained 
with  his  father  till  the  latter's  death  and 
then  took  charge  of  the  farm  and  business. 
He  was  married  in  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
December  25,  1853,  to  Miss  Jemima  Drake, 
a  native  ot  Allegany  county.  New  York, 
and  a  daughter  of  Eda  and  Hannah  Drake, 
who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Kane 
county.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Norton 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
which  he  located  with  a  land  warrant.  He 
at  ance  commenced  the  improvement  of  the 
place,  and  as  his  means  increased  bought 
more  land  until  his  farm  comprised  five 
hundred  and  forty-five  acres.  His  farm  is 
well  equipped  with  all  necessary  outbuild- 
ings and  modern  utensils,  and  on  the  place 
is  a  neat  and  commodious  residence.  Al- 
though he  commenced  life  with  very  limited 
means,  he  has  been  very  successful  and 
ranks  with  the  best  farmers  of  his  town- 
ship. 

Of  the  two  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Norton,  Alice  died  at  the  age  of  two 
and  a  half  years.  Charles  grew  to  man- 
hood, married  Jennie   Crosby  and  has  three 


living  children,  Elmer,  Carrie  and  Edna 
Blanche.  He  is  now  engaged  in  farming 
the  old  homestead. 

From  the  organization  of  the  party  to 
the  present  time,  Mr.  Norton  has  been  an 
ardent  Republican,  and  has  given  earnest 
support  to  every  presidential  nominee  of  the 
party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Batavia  Christian  church,  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton having  been  a  member  for  about  thirty- 
five  years. 

When  Mr.  Norton  came  to  Illinois,  Chi- 
cago was  but  an  insignificant  village,  and 
he  has  lived  to  see  it  take  rank  as  the  sec- 
ond city  in  the  union.  The  changes  that 
have  been  made  in  the  sixty-two  years  of 
his  residence  in  Illinois  can  scarcely  be  con- 
ceived. An  almost  unbroken  wilderness  at 
the  time  of  his  arrival,  the  country  is  now 
dotted  with  fiourishing  villages,  and  the 
magnificent  farms  with  their  large  dwelling 
houses  and  barns  indicate  that  the  jieople 
are  indeed  prosperous.  The  prosperity  at- 
tending others  has  in  a  measure  been  meted 
out  to  him,  and  he  is  numbered  to-day 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  Squaw  Grove 
township,  with  many  friends  throughout 
Kane  and  De  Kalb  counties. 


RF.  HAMPTON  is  a  native  of  De  Kalb 
county,  born  in  Paw  Paw  township, 
February  3,  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  Hon. 
Robert  Hampton,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  now  resides 
upon  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  7,  Paw  Paw  township, 
which  he  owns  and  operates,  in  connection 
with  another  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  acres.  His  boyhood  and  youth  were 
spent  upon  the  old   homestead  in  Paw  Paw 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


22  I 


township,  and  his  primary  education  was 
obtained  in  the  district  schools.  From  the 
district  school  he  entered  the  classical  semi- 
nary at  East  Paw  Paw,  in  which  he  took  a 
thorough-course,  and  later  engaged  in  teach- 
ing during  the  winter  months,  in  which  oc- 
cupation he  continued  for  some  twelve 
terms,  while  in  the  summer  he  assisted  in 
the  farm  work. 

On  the  9th  of  March,  1879,  in  Chicago, 
Illinois,  Mr.  Hampton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Lizzie  Dienst,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  born  in  La  Salle  county,  but  reared 
and  educated  in  De  Kalb  county.  Her  fa- 
ther, Casper  Dienst,  died  when  she  was  a 
small  child,  and  her  mother  a  few  months 
later.  She  was  then  taken  and  reared  to 
womanhood  by  Wells  \V.  Fay,  of  whom 
mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
By  this  union  there  is  one  son,  Robert 
Wells,  a  bright  child  of  tW'O  years.  They 
have  also  taken  a  child  to  rear,  Golden 
Hampton,  who  entered  their  household 
when  but  four  years  of  age,  and  is  now  a 
student  in  the  home  school. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Hampton 
removed  to  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
which  he  had  purchased  a  few  years  before. 
He  has  here  almost  continuously  since  been 
engaged  in  general  farming.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1894,  he  purchased  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Rollo,  in  which  he  was  actively  en- 
gaged for  about  three  years,  closing  out  in 
August,  1897.  In  the  spring  of  1898,  in 
connection  with  his  own  place,  he  took 
charge  of  the  greater  portion  of  his  father's 
farm,  and  in  connection  with  general  farm- 
ing he  is  quite  extensively  engaged  in  stock 
raising.  For  seven  years  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  breeeding  and  raising  Polled  Dur- 
ham cattle.  In  his  farming  operations,  Mr. 
Hampton  has  been  uniformly  successful,  and 


has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of   the  best 
farmers  in  the  township. 

Politically  Mr.  Hampton  is  a  Repub- 
lican, with  which  party  he  has  been  inden- 
tified  since  attaining  his  majority.  He  was 
elected  and  served  as  commissioner  of 
highways  one  term,  and  for  ten  years  has 
been  township  clerk  and  school  treasurer. 
His  interest  in  the  public  schools  has  been 
intensified  by  his  experience  as  a  teacher. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Rollo 
Congregational  church,  and  in  its  work  they 
take  special  delight.  Previous  to  the  or- 
ganization of  the  church  at  Rollo,  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday'  school  at 
East  Paw  Paw,  and  is  now  serving  in  the 
same  position  in  the  church  at  Rollo,  a  po- 
sition which  he  has  satisfactorily  filled  for 
several  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Master 
Mason,  holding  membership  with  the  lodge 
at  Paw  Paw.  Thoroughly  progressive,  he 
is  at  all  times  willing  to  do  all  that  he  can 
to  advance  the  interests  of  his  native  county 
and  state.  Few  men  are  better  known  in 
the  southern  portion  of  De  Kalb  county, 
and  none  are  more  highly  respected. 


AR  U  D  O  L  P  H  Y  O  U  X  G  G  R  E  X,  of 
Younggren  Brothers,  resides  on  section 
8,  Shabbona  township,  where  the}'  are  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock  raising, 
having  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  home  place,  and  another  of 
eighty  acres  in  Milan  township,  both  valua- 
ble and  well  improved  farms.  Tiiey  date 
their  residence  in  De  Kalb  county  since 
1854,  and  on  the  farm  where  they  now  re- 
side since  1861. 

A.  Rudolph  Younggren  is  a  native  of 
Sweden,  born  in  Jonkoping,  January  20, 
1852,  while  his  brother,  Gustavus  M.,  first 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


saw  the  light  of  day  on  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
September  5,  i<S54.  Their  father,  Eman- 
uel Younggren,  was  also  a  native  of  Sweden, 
as  was  also  their  mother,  Margaretha 
(Sandman)  Younggren.  The  family  emi- 
grated to  the  New  World  in  1854,  taking 
ship  at  Christina  for  Quebec,  Canada,  and 
on  arriving  at  that  city  they  came  direct  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  located  first 
in  Shabbona  Center.  Emanuel  Younggren 
was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  at 
which  he  worked  in  his  native  country  for  a 
time.  For  se\en  years  previous  to  his 
coming  to  America  he  worked  in  a  match 
factory  at  Jonkoping.  On  commg  to  De 
Kalb  county,  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  car- 
penter and  joiner,  in  addition  to  looking 
after  the  home  farm.  In  1868  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  on  section  8, 
Shabbona  township,  on  which  he  built  a 
neat  residence  and  various  outbuildings. 
After  his  naturalisation  he  was  elected  and 
served  in  a  number  of  offices  of  honor  and 
trust.  By  accident  he  lost  his  right  hand, 
and  was  thus  compelled  to  give  up  carpen- 
tering and  much  other  work.  He  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life  on  the  farm,  and  there 
died  October  6,  1891.  His  wife  survived 
him  two  years  and  passed  away  August  16, 
1893.  Their  family  comprised  three  sons 
and  one  daughter.  Charles  W.,  the  eldest 
born,  is  engaged  in  fruit  growing  in  Oregon. 
A.  R'jdolph  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
G.  M.  is  the  partner  of  his  brother  in  con- 
ducting the  farm  and  in  stock  raising.  Jen- 
nie and  Melvina  C.  are  deceased. 

The  Younggren  brothers  were  reared  on 
their  present  farm,  which  they  helped  to 
develop,  and  were  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  After  their  father's  death  they 
succeeded  to  the  homestead,  together  with 
the  eightj'-acre  farm  in  Milan  township,  and 


they  are  now  considered  as  being  among 
the  most  enterprising  and  substantial  farm- 
ers of  Shabbona  township.  In  addition  to 
the  above  described  farms,  they  have  re- 
cently purchased  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
acres  of  land  in  Coffey  countv,  Kansas. 
The}'  are  also  breeders  of  high-grade  Dur- 
ham cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs,  and 
own  and  keep  for  breeding  purposes  a  pure- 
bred French  Canadian  draft  iiorse.  Politic- 
ally the  brothers  are  stanch  Republicans, 
and  A.  Rudolph  served  two  terms  as  com- 
missioner of  highways,  and  in  1897  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  county  board  of 
supervisors,  being  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  printing,  and  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee of  highways,  and  also  of  personal 
property.  He  joined  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge 
at  Lee,  and  was  a  member  while  that  lodge 
was  in  existence.  He  passed  through  all 
the  chairs  and  represented  his  lodge  two 
sessions  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Knights  of  the  Globe  and  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  and  is  now  serving  as  ven- 
erable consul  of  the  Woodmen  camp.  He 
is  well  known  throughout  the  county,  in 
which  he  has  resided  for  forty-four  jears, 
and  wherever  known  he  is  respected  for  his 
integrity  of  character  and  personal  v\orth. 


GEORGE  WILLIAM  DUNTON,  of  the 
firm  of  Carnes  &  Dunton,  Sycamore, 
Illinois,  has  won  high  rank  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best 
attorneys  in  De  Kalb  county.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Belvidere,  Boone  county,  Illinois, 
born  August  6,  1854,  and  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam S.  and  Alvira  (Baldwin)  Dunton.  His 
father  is  a  native  of  Dorset,  Bennington 
county,    Vermont,    born    August    31,    181 3, 


GEORGE    W.   DUNTON. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  is  the  son  of  William  B.  and  Huldah 
(Sykes)  Diinton.  \\illiani  B.  Dunton  was 
also  a  native  of  the  same  state.  His  father 
was  a  survejor  and  came  from  Connecticut 
to  \'ermont.  locating  in  Bennington  countj-. 
The  Duntons  were  of  English  ancestry  and 
the  head  of  this  family  came  over  from 
England  during  Cromwell's  time  and  settled 
in  Boston. 

William  S.  Dunton,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
state  and  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. He  came  to  Illinois  in  1846  and  lo- 
cated at  Belvidere.  Boone  county,  where  he 
has  since  continued  to  reside.  He  there 
first  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  and 
at  one  time  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  plows,  and  also  carried  on  farm- 
ing. At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the 
national  banking  system  he  became  a  di- 
rector of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Belvi- 
dere, and  in  1S66  was  elected  president  of 
the  same  and  held  that  responsible  position 
for  about  twenty  years,  resigning  on  account 
of  failing  ejesight,  but  accepting  the  posi- 
tion of  vice-president,  which  place  he  now 
holds.  He  has  also  been  a  director  of  the 
Second  National  Bank  of  Belvidere  since 
its  organization  about  18S4.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  Physically  he  is  heavily 
built  and  of  a  naturally  strong  constitution. 
He  is  a  man  of  even  temperament,  upright 
disposition  and  character.  His  wife  was 
the  daughter  of  David  Baldwin  and  was  a 
native  of  Dorset,  Vermont.  In  religious 
belief  she  was  a  Universalist.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  as  follows: 
Wilbur,  who  died  in  childhood;  Mary,  now 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Kerr,  an  attorney  of 
Chicago;  Nellie,  at  home;  and  George  W., 
our  subject.  William  S.  Dunton  has  one 
brother,  George  B.,  who  lives  at  Belvidere, 


and  two  sisters,  Adeline,  who  married  David 
Underbill,  and  Susan,  who  married  Chauncy 
Borland. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
Belvidere  "and  after  receiving  his  primary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
place  entered  the  State  University  of  Iowa, 
at  Iowa  City,  in  1871,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  classical  course  in  1S75. 
He  then  entered  the  Union  Law  College  of 
Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1S75  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  in  June,  1877. 
Among  the  lecturers  at  that  time  in  the  col- 
lege were  V.  B.  Denslow,  Harvey  B.  Hurd, 
Judge  Lyman  Trumbull,  Senator  J.  R.  Doo- 
little,  James  L.  High  and  Judge  Booth,  to- 
gether with  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  as  lecturer  on 
medical  jurisprudence. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  Mr.  Dunton  com- 
menced practice  in  Sycamore,  forming  a 
partnership  with  R.  L.  Devine,  who  was 
then  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  bar 
of  De  Kalb  county.  His  first  few  years  in 
practice  was  mosth'  in  preparing  cases  and 
drawing  up  pleadings  for  the  causes.  Type- 
writers were  not  then  in  use,  and  as  Mr. 
Devine  was  a  very  busy  man  with  an  exten- 
sive practice,  this  duty  devolved  upon  the 
junior  partner.  It  was,  however,  a  good 
drill,  and  in  after  years  in  practice  it  has 
been  very  useful  to  him.  The  partnership 
with  Mr.  Devine  was  dissolved  in  1S80,  and 
Mr.  Dunton  continued  alone  until  the  fall  of 
1889,  when  he  formed  his  present  partner- 
ship with  Duane  J.  Carnes.  While  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Devine  they  had  a  large 
general  practice,  in  which  they  were  very 
successful.  While  alone  his  practice  was 
chieflj'  in  chancery  and  business  litigation 
and  settling  up  of  estates,  in  which  he  was 
especiallj'  adapted  and  successful. 

Mr.    Dunton    was    united    in     marriage 


224 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


August  6,  1885,  with  Miss  Levina  S.  Den- 
ton, a  native  of  De  Kaib  county,  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Olive  Den- 
ton, both  natives  of  Dutchess  county.  New 
York.  Hi;r  father,  who  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  died  in  1864,  but  her  mother 
is  yet  living.  They  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  Rebecca,  Julia,  Mary,  Lavinia  S., 
Gilbert  H.,  Elizabeth  and  George,  all  of 
whom  are  living  except  the  latter.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dunton  two  children  have  been 
born,  Martha  A.,  born  July  2,  1888,  and 
Mary  O.,  born  March  18,  1892. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dunton  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation, of  which  he  was  president  for  a  time. 
In  business  he  has  been  quite  successful. 
He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the 
Sycamore  National  Bank.  Mr.  Dunton  is 
held  as  a  sound  student  of  law  and  a  safe, 
reliable  counselor.  His  special  forte  is  in 
chancery  cases  and  probate,  in  preparing 
cases  for  trial,  and  drawing  up  pleadings. 
He  has  been  connected  with  some  of  the 
most  important  cases  in  De  Kalb  county, 
and  with  his  partner  forms  one  of  the 
strongest  law  firms  in  the  county.  He  is  a 
man  of  pleasing  address  and    very  popular. 


GOTTLIEB  F.  HUEBER  is  one  of  the 
most  substantial  farmers  in  De  Kalb 
county,  and  resides  in  section  3,  Malta 
township.  He  was  born  in  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  September  12,  1828,  and  is  the 
son  of  Jacob  and  Philopene  fColmer) 
Hueber,  both  natives  of  Germany,  where 
their  entire  lives  were  passed,  the  former 
dying  in  1833  and  the  latter  in  1865.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 
In  his  native  land,  Gottlieb   F.  Hueber 


grew  to  manhood  and  received  a  fairly  good 
education.  The  news  from  the  new  world, 
which  reached  the  fatherland,  was  of  such  a 
nature  as  to  induce  him  to  immigrate,  and 
in  1850  he  came  to  this  coimtry  with  Jacob 
W'illrett,  who  has  become  wealthy  and  lives 
in  De  Kalb  county,  locating  first  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  remained  nearly  two 
years.  In  1855  he  came  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated in  Malta  township,  De  Kalb  county, 
where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
its  primitive  state.  This  he  brought  into 
subjection  by  plowing,  and  beautified  it  by 
the  erection  of  commodious  buildings.  To 
the  first  eighty  acres  he  added  another 
eighty,  upon  which  he  now  resides.  Later 
he  purchased  a  ciuarter-section  on  section  i, 
which  was  somewhat  improved,  but  which 
he  improved  still  more  by  applying  to  it  his 
labor  and  genius.  He  afterwards  pur- 
chased another  eighty  acres  on  section  3, 
which  was  also  partially  improved,  and  still 
later  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
which  he  has  since  sold  to  his  son  Fred- 
erick, who  now  resides  upon  it.  Lately  he 
purchased  another  eighty  acres. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1858,  Mr.  Hueber 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Heiderscheid,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  following  are  yet  living: 
Elizabeth,  Carrie  W.,  John  WilUiam,  Fred- 
erick Jacob,  George  Emanuel,  Laura  Mar- 
garet, Gottlieb  David  and  William  Nicholas. 
Mrs.  Hueber  was  born  in  Luxemberg,  Ger- 
many, February  20,  1829,  and  died  March 
22,   1898. 

Mr.  Hueber  is  a  practical  farmer  in 
every  respect.  His  stock  is  well  cared  for 
and  of  good  blood,  his  buildings  of  modern 
construction,  his  fields  clean  and  neat, 
while  his  fences  are  strong  and  secure.  He 
has  no  hobby  in  his  farming,  but   devotes 


i-iSRARV 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITy  OF  ILLINOIS 


G.   F.   HUEBER. 


MRS.   G.   F.   HUEBER. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


himself  to  a  general  line.  He  has  been 
ver}-  successful  in  life,  and  has  an  abun- 
dance for  the  old  age  that  is  coming  upon 
him.  Religioush'  he  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Evangelical  Association,  of  which 
his  wife  was  also  a  member. 


GENERAL  EVERELL  FLETCHER 
DUTTON.  ^  Prominent  among  the 
business  men  of  Sycamore  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  for  many  years  has  been 
closely  identified  with  the  history  of  the 
city,  while  his  name  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  its  financial  records.  The 
banking  interests  are  well  represented  by 
him,  for  he  is  to-day  at  the  head  of  the 
Sycamore  National  Bank,  the  leading 
monej'ed  institution  of  this  place.  He  is  a 
man  of  keen  discrimination  and  sound  judg- 
ment, and  his  executive  ability  and  e.xcellent 
management  have  brought  to  the  concern 
with  which  he  is  connected  a  high  degree  of 
success.  The  safe,  conservative  policj-  which 
he  inaugurated  commends  itself  to  the  judg- 
ment of  all,  and  the  success  of  the  bank  is 
certainly  due  in  a  large  measure  to  him,  and 
through  it  he  has  promoted  the  welfare  of 
the  city. 

General  Button  is  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Janu- 
ary 4,  1838.  His  father,  Hon.  William  P. 
Dutton,  was  a  native  of  Charleston,  New 
Hampshire,  born  August  i,  1817.  He  mar- 
ried Lucinda  J.  Blood,  also  a  native  of  the 
same  town  and  state,  born  January  28, 
1 818.  They  were  married  in  1835  and  after 
remaining  in  their  native  state  for  nine 
years,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, they  then  resolved  to  come  west.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  1844,  they  came  to  Illinois, 
locating  first  at  St.  Charles,  Kane  county, 


and  later  removing  to  Du  Page  county  and 
subsequently'  settling  at  Sycamore,  De  Kalb 
count}',  where,  until  1857,  the  elder  Dutton 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade,  and  was 
also  the  landlord  of  the  Sycamore  House, 
the  leading  hotel  in  the  city.  During  the 
administration  of  President  Pierce  he  held 
the  office  of  postmaster  at  Sycamore.  He 
was  reared  in  the  Jackson  school  of  politics, 
and  from  his  earliest  manhood  was  plain 
and  outspoken  in  his  political  views.  The 
doctrines  held  by  the  abolitionists  were  very 
distasteful  to  him,  and  during  the  agitation 
of  the  freesoil  question  he  went  to  Kansas 
to  vigorously  denounce  those  principles  and 
confidently  expected  to  be  confirmed  in  his 
views,  and  that  the  report  of  his  investiga- 
tions there  would  undoubtedly  strengthen 
the  part}',  giving  prestige  to  those  views. 

Of  one  thing  it  could  be  said  of  William 
P.  Dutton,  and  that  is  that  he  was  open  to 
conviction.  When  he  saw  with  his  own 
eyes  the  terrible  and  sad  condition  of  the 
people  of  that  distracted  country,  he  exper- 
ienced a  complete  change  of  opinion,  and 
there  openly  and  unhesitatingly  declared 
himself  in  favor  of  the  free  state  idea,  which 
he  had  previously  so  vigorously  condemned. 
This  course  cost  him  his  political  position, 
the  postolflce  at  Sycamore.  Being  then  at 
liberty,  he  at  once  changed  his  residence, 
removing  to  Kansas,  settling  on  a  farm  in 
Stanton,  then  Lykens  count}'.  Within  a 
year  after  his  arrival  he  was  elected  treas- 
urer of  the  county,  and  was  later  re-elected, 
serving  two  terms.  In  1859  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention, 
which  assembled  at  Wyandotte,  and  took 
an  active  part  in  forming  the  constitution. 
In  1 86 1,  when  Kansas  was  admitted  to  the 
union,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  his  county, 
the  name  of  which  had   then  been  changed 


2.^0 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  Miami  county.  For  the  better  perform- 
ance of  his  duties  he  removed  to  Paola,  the 
county  seat,  which  continued  to  be  his  home 
until  1873.  In  1863,  he  was  re-elected 
sheriff  and  served  his  second  term.  During 
the  war  he  was  a  conspicuous  figure  in  Kan- 
sas affairs,  and  a  strong  supporter  of  the 
government,  serving  on  the  staff  of  the  gov- 
ernor. In  1873,  he  returned  to  Illinois, 
and.  until  1876  he  devoted  himself  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  when  he  returned  to  Pa- 
ola, Kansas,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death  in  188S.  His  wife  died  at  Sycamore, 
June  15,  1875.  Besides  our  subject  the 
children  born  to  William  P.  ami  Lucinda 
|.  Dutton,  were  Emma,  who  married  Aaron 
K.  Stiles,  of  Chicago;  and  Charles  E. ,  of 
Oakland,  California.  Everell  Fletcher  Dut- 
ton was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
settled  in  Sycamore,  and  during  the  eleven 
years  preceding  his  father's  removal  to 
Kansas,  he  assisted  in  the  store  and  post- 
office  and  attended  the  public  schools,  clos- 
ing his  studies  with  a  year  at  Mt.  Morris, 
Illinois,  and  a  similar  period  at  Beloit,  Wis- 
consin. After  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
Kansas,  he  assis'.ed  his  father  on  the  farm 
until  1858,  when  he  returned  to  Sycamore, 
aad  served  as  deputy  clerk  under  the  Hon. 
A.  K.  Styles,  until  April,   1861. 

On  the  I  8th  of  April,  1861,  young  Dut- 
ton responded  to  the  call  of  President  Lin- 
coln for  troops  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of 
the  rebellion,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
state  service  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  May  10,  and 
into  the  United  States  service  Maj"  24. 
His  company  was  made  a  part'of  the  Thir- 
teenth Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry.  Z.  B. 
Mayo  was  elected  captain  of  the  company, 
which  was  known  as  Company  F,  and  Mr. 
Dutton  was  chosen  first  lieutenant.  On  the 
1 6th  of  June   the   regiment  went   to  Casey- 


ville,  Illinois,  to  look  after  the  se- 
cession element  at  that  place,  and, 
July  6,  moved  on  to  Rolla,  Missouri. 
In  August,  Lieutenant  Dutton  was  promot- 
ed to  the  command  of  his  companj'.  Cap- 
tain Ma\o  having  resigned.  The  regiment 
remained  at  Rolla  till  the  last  of  October, 
doing,  in  addition  to  its  regular  military  serv- 
ice, cavalry  duty,  looking  after  guerrillas  and 
bushwhackers  in  and  about  that  section  of 
the  country.  From  Rolla  they  moved  by 
forced  marches  to  Springfield,  Missouri, 
making  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
in  four  days,  and  were  placed  in  General 
Fremont's  command,  under  whom  the  reg- 
iment remained  until  that  general  was  su- 
perseded. 

The  Thirteenth  was  ordered  back  to 
Rolla.  March  6,  1862,  and  was  assigned  to 
the  con)mand  of  General  Curtis.  It  was 
then  sent  to  Pea  Ridge,  marching  at  the 
rate  of  twenty-five  miles  per  day.  During 
this  campaign  the  regiment  suffered  great 
hardships,  being  compelled  for  days  to  sub- 
sist on  parched  corn  and  whortleberries. 
Its  campaign  down  the  White  River  was 
especially  hazardous  and  severe,  suffering 
from  cold  and  want  of  food,  and  then  chang- 
ing to  intense  heat  with  no  water  except 
from  the  cypress  swamps  abounding  with 
reptiles  and  filth,  many  of  the  wells  being 
poisoned  as  the  troops  approached,  .-^fter 
three  months  experience  of  this  character 
the  regiment  reached  Helena,  July  14,  with 
half  of  its  number  sick.  In  August,  Cap- 
tain Dutton  was  sent  home  sick,  and  while 
there  was  commissioned  major  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, which  was  raised  in  De  Kalb  and  Du 
Page  counties.  On  the  22d  of  September, 
he  was  transferred  to  that  command,  b)'  or- 
der of  the  secretary  of  war,  proceeding  with 


( 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


-ii 


it  a.  few  days  later  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
where  it  was  assigned  to  the  armj-  under 
General  Kosecrans,  then  in  camp  near 
Bowling  Green. 

On  the  iith  of  November,  the  brigade 
to  which  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  was 
attached  was  ordered  to  Scottsville,  Ken- 
tuck}-,  and  November  25th  marched  to 
Gallatin,  Tennessee,  where  it  went  into 
winter  quarters.  On  the  iith  of  December 
the  regiment  was  moved  to  Tunnel  Hill 
where  it  remained  till  February  1,  1863, 
when  it  rejoined  its  brigade  at  Gallatin,  con- 
tinuing there  until  the  close  of  the  spring. 
During  these  si.\  months  of  arduous  cam- 
paigning. Major  Dutton  had  charge  of  the 
scouts  of  the  brigade,  some  twoliundred  and 
fifty  in  number,  and  was  almost  constantly 
in  the  saddle.  June  i,  iS63,thc  regiment 
proceeded  to  I^avergne,  and  a  month  later  to 
Murfreesboro.  Later  it  was  ordered  back  to 
Lavergne,  and  August  19  entered  Fort 
Negley,  at  Nashville,  where  it  remained  until 
February,    1864. 

\^'hi!e  at  Nashville,  Major  Dutton  was 
made  a  member  of  the  board  constituted  b\' 
the  war  department  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
amining and  assigning  officers  to  tlie  regi- 
ments of  colored  men,  remaining  on  that 
duty  till  May  ist,  when  he  rejoined  his 
regmient,  which  was  then  assigned  to  the 
First  Brigade.  Third  Division,  Twentieth 
Army  Corps,  commanded  by  General  Joseph 
Hooker,  in  which  it  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  In  the  battle  of  Kesaca,  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  took  a  distinguished  part, 
and  for  its  gallantry  was  especially  compli- 
mented. In  the  campaign  through  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas,  the  regiment  also  won 
the  most  favorable  distinction  for  its  gallan- 
try and  achievements,  and  in  the  war  re- 
ports had  favorable  mention.    I'rom  Jul)-  13 


to  August  4,  Major  Dutton  had  command  of 
the  regiment.  Colonel  Dustin  being  absent. 
During  this  period  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree 
Creek  was  fought  (July  20),  in  which  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  washeavily  engaged 
and  had  the  honor  of  capturing  the  flag  of  the 
Twelfth  Louisiana  Regiment.  The  brigade 
was  then  commanded  by  General  Harrison, 
afterwards  president  of  the  United  States. 
The  record  of  the  regiment  during  the  entire 
Atlanta  campaign  was  specially  brilliant, 
taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca,  Cass- 
ville.  New  Hope  Church.  Golgotha,  Peach 
Tree  Creek  and  Atlanta. 

Early  in  August,  1864,  Major  Dutton 
was  promoted  to  lieutenant  colonel,  and 
soon  afterwards  to  the  colonelcy,  his  senior 
officer.  Col.  Dustin,  having  been  appointed 
brigadier  general.  From  Atlanta  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  marched  with  Sherman 
to  the  sea,  and  from  Savannah  through  the 
Carolinas  to  Goldsboro  and  Raleigh,  thence 
through  Richmond  to  Washington,  partici- 
pating in  the  battles  of  Lawtonville,  Smiths 
Farm  and  .\ver3-sboro,  the  latter  being 
fought  March  15,  1865.  During  this  last 
engagement,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
drove  the  enemy  from  its  works  and  cap- 
tured two  twelve-pound  guns,  which  Col. 
Dutton  and  some  of  his  men  turned  and 
fired  on  the  retreating  enemy. 

For  gallantry  and  meritorious  services 
in  the  campaign  in  Georgia  and  the  Caroli- 
nas and  for  distinguished  services  at  tha  bat- 
tle of  Stniths  Farcn,  North  Carolina,  Col. 
Dutton  was  breveted  brigadier  general  of 
United  States  volunteers,  with  rank  from 
March  15,  1865.  He  was  mustered  out  of 
service  at  Washington,  June  7,  1863,  after 
a  contrnuous  service  of  four  years  and  two 
months.  Returning  to  Sycamore,  in  1868, 
he  was    elected    clerk  of  the    circuit    court 


232 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  De  Kalb  county,  in  wliich  capacity  he 
officiated  for  eight  years.  In  the  winter  of 
1877,  during  the  session  of  the  thirteenth 
general  assembly  of  Illinois,  he  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  house.  In  1878,  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  northern  grand  divi- 
sion of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  which 
position  he  held  until  December  1,  1884, 
discharging  the  duties  of  the  office  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  win  the  admiration  of  the 
court  and  bar. 

In  1883,  General  Dutton  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  Sycamore  National  Bank, 
purchasing  a  large  proportion  of  its  stock, 
and  on  the  death  of  J.  S.  W'aterman  be- 
came president,  a  j)osition  that  he  still 
holds.  Naturally  conservative,  by  his  in- 
fluence he  has  added  strength  to  the  bank 
and  secured  the  confidence  of  the  entire 
community.  Few  l:>anks  have  a  better  rep- 
utation than  the  Sycamore  National,  which 
has  always  been  a  successful  institution  and, 
has  gained  in  popularity  under  the  wise  ad- 
ministration of  General  Dutton  and  his  as- 
sociates. In  addition  to  his  lianking  inter- 
ests, the  General  has  large  real  estate  hold- 
ings, and  in  addition  to  much  farming  land 
in  De  Kalb'county,  he  owns  large  tracts  in 
other  northwestern  states.  Success  has 
crowned  him  in  all  his  business  interests. 

General  Dutton  was  united  in  marriage 
at  Sycamore,  Illinois,  December  31,  1863, 
with  Miss  Rosina  Adelpha  Paine,  a  native 
of  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Harmon  and  Clarinda  (Van 
Horn)  Paine,  the  former  born  at  German 
Flats,  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  July 
25,  1822,  and  the  latter  at  Springfield,  New 
York,  February  26,  1824.  Her  parents 
moved  to  Sycamore,  in  1853,  and  for  many 
years  her  father  was  proprietor  of  Paine's 
Hotel  at  that  place.     Of  late  years  he   has 


been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The 
great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Dutton,  Thomas 
Yan  Horn,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  By 
reason  of  this  fact  Mrs.  Dutton  has  become 
a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dutton  two  sons 
have  been  born.  George  Everell,  who  was 
born  May  8,  1868,  graduated  at  Lombard 
University,  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and  is  now 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  banking 
business  at  Sycamore.  William  Paine  was 
born  April  25,  1872,  and  is  at  present  finish- 
ing his  education  at  Harvard  University. 

Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father, 
and  strengthened  by  the  lessons  of  the  Civil 
war,  General  Dutton  has  ever  been  an 
earnest  Republican,  and  has  rendered  valu- 
able services  to  his  party,  which  have  been 
duly  appreciated.  Religiously  both  he  and 
his  wife  affiliate  with  the  Universalist 
church,  in  the  work  of  which  they  take  an 
active  part. 


JOHN  KING,  who  for  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century  has  been  station  agent  at 
Cortland,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  Pemberton, 
Burlington  county.  New  Jersey,  born  No- 
vember 28,  1834,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Margaret  (Pippit)  King,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  New  Jersey,  and  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
died  in  infancy  and  one,  Isaiah,  after  reach- 
ing maturity.  He  was  a  Methodist  Episco- 
pal minister  and  was  secretary  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  conference  in  his  native 
state.  The  living  are  John,  Elizabeth  and 
Margaret.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Will- 
iam King,  was  a  native  of  England,  and 
emigrated  to  this  country  when  quite  young, 
locating  in  New  Jersey.     The  father  was  a 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


^33 


carpenter  by  trade,  and  lived  to  be  over 
eighty  years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
his  native  town  and  county  and  educated 
in  its  public  schools.  He  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  and  then  like  many  others  came  west 
with  a  view  of  bettering  his  condition  in  life. 
While  3'et  in  the  east  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  with  his  father,  and  in  1856  took 
up  his  residence  in  Morrison,  Whiteside 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  a  few  years,  and  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way Company  as  a  clerk.  In  1864  he  took 
the  agency  at  Cortland,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  since  continued  to  reside  in  the  faithful 
discharge  of  his  duties  for  a  period  of  over 
thirty-four  years  as  station  and  express 
agent. 

In  1 866  Mr.  King  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Pierce,  a  native  of  Dela- 
ware county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Eunice  Qudd»  Pierce.  By  this 
union  there  are  three  children:  Millie,  Mary 
and  Margaret. 

In  politics  Mr.  King  is  a  gold  Democrat, 
believing  in  the  principles  advocated  by  the 
old  leaders  of  the  party,  and  that  honesty 
in  monetary  matters  should  govern  as  well 
as  honestj^  in  other  things.  He  is  now 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  vil- 
I'age,  and  treasurer  of  the  school  board.  He 
has  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  county 
board  of  supervisors  with  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents.  He 
and  his  family  attend  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  In  addition  to  his  other  prop- 
erty, he  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  land  near  the  village  of  Cort- 
land, which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  which  yields  an  abundant  increase 


for  the  toil  and  labor  expended  on  it.  So- 
cially Mr.  King  and  his  family  are  greatly 
esteemed  and  highly  honored  in  the  com- 
munity which  has  so  long  been  their  home. 


EDWIN  HAIT.  the  present  efficient  su- 
pervisor of  Franklin  township,  and  a 
heavy  stock  dealer  of  Kirkland,  is  a  native 
of  the  township,  born  December  2,  1853, 
and  is  the  son  of  Jonas  and  Emeline  (Shat- 
tuck)  Hait,  both  natives  of  New  York  state, 
and  who  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Mary,  Edwin  and  Emma.  Desiring  to  bet- 
ter his  condition  in  life,  Jonas  Hait  came  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in  1836,  and  took 
up  a  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  in  what  is  now  Franklin  and  Kingston 
townships,  and  which  he  purchased  as  soon 
as  the  land  came  into  market.  He  at  once 
set  about  the  improvement  of  the  place,  and 
in  due  time  had  a  good,  productive  farm. 
He  was  not,  however,  long  to  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  his  labor,  for  he  died  in  1 858,  at  the  age  of 
forty-five  years.  He  was  a  good  man  and 
well  respected  in  the  community,  and  served 
his  township  as  supervisor  for  a  number  of 
years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on 
the  farm  which  his  father  located  in  1836, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood,  and  has  spent 
his  entire  life  in  farming  and  stock  dealing. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools,  and  the  knowledge  therein  obtained 
has  been  supplemented  by  reading  and  con- 
tact with  the  world.  On  the  29th  of  De- 
cember, 1875,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ida  J.  Rote,  also  a  native  of 
Franklin  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Hixon 
Rote,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  pio- 
ner  of  De  Kalb  county.     By  this  union  three 


234 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


children  were   born,  two    of   whom   died   in 
infancy.      The  hving  one  is  Morris. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hait  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  voted  the  party  ticket  since  attaininjj 
his  majority.  He  has  ever  taken  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs,  and  has  been  for 
some  years  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  party 
in  Franklin  township.  He  is  at  present  a 
member  of  the  villaj^e  board  of  Kirkland,  as 
well  as  supervisor  of  the  township.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  served  as  school 
director  in  the  old  Lacy  district,  and  has 
freely  given  of  his  time  to  advance  the  in- 
terests of  the  public  schools.  He  has  one 
hundred  and  si.\ty  acres  of  fine  land,  which 
was  the  old  Hait  homestead.  For  some 
years  he  has  been  engaged  in  stock-dealing, 
buying  and  shipping  to  the  eastern  markets, 
and  has  built  up  a  good  trade.  A  very  pop- 
ular man,  he  has  many  friends  throughout 
the  county. 


WILLIAM  W.  WYLDE  is  a  substantia! 
farmer  residing  in  ihe  village  of  Genoa. 
He  is  a  native  of  Somersetshire,  England, 
born  February  2i<,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of 
William  and  Maria  (Webb)  VVylde,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  the  same  country. 
They  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  the 
fall  of  1843,  and  came  directly  west,  locat- 
ing in  Spring  township,  Boone  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  they  resided  eight  years.  They 
then  moved  into  the  city  of  Belvidere,  where 
the  father  died  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  \\'ylde,  who  came 
to  America  wit'i  him  and  who  survived  him 
two  years,  dying  in  1857,  when  about  eighty- 
one  years  of  age.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  Mrs.  Maria  Wylde  was  again  united 
in  marriage,  her  second  union  being  with 
George  Harding.      She  is  still  living  in  Bel- 


videre, at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  She 
does  all  her  own  house  work,  including 
washing,  ironing  and  baking,  and  each  Sun- 
day she  walks  one  mile  to  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  limited 
school  privileges,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  assumed  his  own  support.  He  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  until  twentj'-one  years  of 
age,  having  been  placed  with  a  man  who 
promised  to  care  for  him  the  nine  years  un- 
til he  attained  his  majority  and  give  him  in 
the  end  three  himdred  and  fifty  dollars.  The 
man  failed,  and  he  got  nothing  for  all  his 
years  of  labor.  At  the  age  of  twenty- one 
he  connnenced  life  anew  and  worked  by  the 
month  for  two  years,  saved  his  money  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  near 
Genoa,  on  which  he  lived  until  removing  to 
the  village  in  1891.  He  was  always  eco- 
nomical and  a  good  manager,  and  in  due  time 
had  saved  enough  to  buy  another  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  lying  some  forty 
rods  from  his  first  farm.  He  now  rents  the 
larger  farm,  but  personally  attends  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  smaller  one.  For  some 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  dairy  farming, 
keeping  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  head  of 
milch  cows.  On  his  two  farms  he  has  made 
mauj'  improvements,  built  a  dwelling  on 
each,  together  with  two  barns,  and  has  also 
drained  them  with  thirty  thousand  feet  of 
tile.  Frequently  he  has  ])lanted  orchards,  but 
has  never  met  with  succes.i  in  the  raising  of 
fruit. 

Mr.  Wylde  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  union  being  with  Miss  Martha  Thomp- 
son, a  native  of  McHenry  county,  Illinois, 
who  died  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  forty- two 
years.  On  the  2nd  of  January,  1896,  he 
married  Mrs.  Cornelia  Bunnell,  wido^v  of 
Sherman  Bunnell,  by  whom  she  had  one 
daughter,  Hazel  Blanche.     Mrs.  Wylde  was 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


235 


born  in  Genoa  township,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  David  and  Mary  (Babcock)  Davis,  the 
latter  beins;  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and 
Cornelia  (Hogeboom)  Babcock.  William 
Babcock  was  the  son  of  Abram  and  Susan 
(Lee)  Babcock,  the  latter  being  a  relative 
of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  Cornelia  Hoge- 
boom was  the  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Julia 
(Distant)  Hogeboom,  who  were  among  the 
first  settlers  of  Hampshire  township,  Ivane 
county,  Illinois.  David  Davis  was  the  son 
of  Alfred  C.  Davis.  By  trade  he  was  a  car- 
penter and  builder,  and  died  in  1880,  at  the 
age  of  forty  years.  To  our  subject  and 
wife  a  son  has  been  born,  I3onovan  Oscar. 
In  the  spring  of  1898,  Mr.  Wylde  began 
the  erection  of  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
residences  in  Genoa.  It  is  of  pleasing  ar- 
chitecture, well  arranged,  light  and  airy, 
and  has  eleven  large  rooms.  In  politics 
Mr.  Wylde  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served 
as  supervisor  of  his  township  and  in  minor 
township  offices.  He  is  a  spiritualist  in 
belief,  being  a  medium  and  having  the  un- 
known power  to  heal,  a  power  which  he 
cannot  explain,  but  merel\    knows  it  exists. 


JOHN  GREEN,  one  of  De  Kalb  county's 
representative  and  thriving  farmers, 
owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  located  on  sections  4  and 
5,  Shabbona  township.  He  was  born  March 
30,  1857,  in  Monroe  county.  New  York,  and 
is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Catherine  (Kies) 
Green,  whose  family  comprised  three  chil- 
dren: ^^'iliiam  E. ,  John  and  Elizabeth. 

Moved  by  a  desire  to  better  his  condi- 
tion, and  learning  the  prospects  held  out  in 
the  west,  where  the  same  effort  as  was  ex- 
erted in  Monroe  county.  New  York,  would 
shortly  result  in  ownership  of  choice  land  in 


Illinois,  Peter  Green  brought  his  family  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in  1864,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  par- 
tially improved  land.  He  immediately  set 
about  further  improving  his  property  by  the 
erection  of  buildings,  setting  out  orchards 
and  shade  trees,  tiling  the  land,  and  con- 
tinued to  cultivate  the  place  until  1881, 
when  he  moved  to  the  village  of  Shabbona, 
and  lived  a  retired  life  until  his  death,  July 
21,  1890,  leaving  a  widow,  who  survived 
him  several  years  and  who  died  December 
2[,   1896. 

John  Green  came  west  with  his  parents 
to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in  the  spring 
of  1864,  and  has  since  been  identified  with 
its  growth  and  prosperity.  He  was  but 
seven  years  of  age  on  his  arrival  here  and 
grew  to  manhood  in  the  old  homestead,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  district  school 
in  the  neighborhood.  After  his  school  days 
were  over  he  took  up  the  pursuit  of  farm- 
ing, working  with  and  aiding  his  father  in 
the  many  duties  and  responsibilities  their 
avocation  exacted. 

Mr.  Green  was  married  September  13, 
1 88 1,  to  Miss  Catherine  Erbes,  daughter  of 
George  Erbes,  a  prominent  and  highly  re- 
spected fanner  living  a  few  miles  west  of 
the  town  of  Lee,  Lee  county,  Illinois.  By 
this  union  they  became  the  parents  of  a 
happy  famil}-  of  five  bright  children,  all  of 
whom  are  attending  school  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

Mr.  Green  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  advocating  its 
principles,  and  voting  the  party  ticket,  na- 
tional, state  and  county.  He  has  never  held 
nor  sought  office,  his  private  affairs  and  re- 
sponsibilities being  of  such  nature  as  to 
claim  his  whole  attention.  In  educational 
affairs  the  growth  and   development  of  the 


236 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


public  school  system  have  always  received 
his  sympathy  and  support,  and  his  efforts 
in  this  direction  take  form  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  school  director,  an  office 
which  he  now  holds. 

Since  coming  to  De  Kalb  county,  a  boy 
of  seven  years,  Mr.  Green  has  witnessed 
the  progress  of  events  which  year  by  year 
have  taken  place,  resulting  in  a  complete 
transformation.  Where  existed  the  raw 
prairies  are  now  the  fertile  fields;  the  rude 
cabin  has  given  way  to  homes  of  statelier 
aspect  and  proportions,  and  wild  nature  ex- 
hibits in  every  detail  the  civilizing  influences 
which  individual  effort  and  industry  have 
resulted  in  makinj;'  the  state  of  Illinois  fore- 
most among  the  agricultural  states  of  the 
Union.  A  combination  of  effort  has  ef- 
fected these  changes,  and  like  other  enter- 
prising and  industrious  men,  John  Green 
has  contributed  his  full  share.  He  has  but 
latelj'  added  by  purchase  one  hundred  and  , 
sixty  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  and  his 
interests  consist  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  De  Kalb  county's  most  fer- 
tile land.  He  is  one  of  the  county's  popu- 
lar and  esteemed  citizens,  his  mtegrity,  in- 
dustry and  well  regulated  habits  inviting 
and  fostering  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
those  who  know  him. 


ABRAM  ELLWOOD  was  for  some 
years  one  of  Sycamore's  best  kncnvn 
citizens,  one  whose  life  record  is  a  com- 
mendable one.  Only  those  lives  are  worth 
recording  that  have  been  potential  factors 
in  the  public  progress,  in  promoting  the 
general  welfare,  or  advancing  the  educa- 
tional or  moral  interests  of  the  communit}'. 
Abram  Ellwood  was  ever  faithful  to  his 
duties  of  citizenship,    and   by  the  successful 


conduct  of  his  business  interests  not  only 
promoted  his  individual  success,  but  also 
promoted  the  general  prosperity.  In  his 
life's  span  of  forty-seven  years,  he  accomp- 
lished much  and  left  behind  an  honorable 
record  worthy  of  perpetuation.  He  was  a 
man  of  the  highest  respectability,  and  those 
who  were  most  intimately  associated  with 
him  speak  in  unqualified  terms  of  his 
sterling  integrity,  his  honor  in  business 
affairs  and  his  fidelity  to  all  the  duties  of 
public  and  private  life. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  born  in  Scotia, 
Schenectady  county.  New  York,  March  26, 
1850,  and  was  the  son  of  Reuben  and 
Eleanor  (Vedder)  Ellwood,  the  former  a 
native  of  Minden,  Montgomery  county. 
New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Schenectady. 
Reuben  Ellwood,  the  father,  was  for  years 
one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of  De 
Kalb  count}',  was  well  known  throughout 
the  state  and  nation,  and  for  two  terms 
served  his  district  as  a  member  of  the  United 
States  house  of  representatives.  His  death 
occurred  July  i,  1S85,  while  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  about  ten  years. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Sycamore 
.•\bram  Ellwood  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion. He  then  attended  a  military  college 
at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when 
he  began  life  for  himself,  at  once  display- 
ing that  energy,  independence  and  self- 
reliance  that  burned  out  the  fires  of  his 
life  many  years  before  his  time.  Being  a 
sturdy  youth,  he  secures  a  position  as  brake- 
man  on  the  railroad,  and  was  thus  employed 
two  years,  then  went  south  and  assumed  a 
more  responsible  position,  that  of  con- 
tractor on  the  New  Orleans,  Mobile  and 
Texas  Railroad,  afterward  serving  as  pas- 
senger  conductor    on    this    line.      Notwith- 


ABRAM   ELLWOOD. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


239 


standing  that  he  was  but  eighteen  years  old, 
he  displayed  executive  ability  far  beyond 
his  years.  He  was  next  on  the  Milwaukee 
&  Northern  Railroad  as  constructor,  with 
headquarters  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin. 
Later  he  was  United  States  mail  agent,  on 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad, 
from  which  he  was  transferred  to  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railwaj-,  between 
Chicago  and  Cedar  Rapids.  His  last  run  in 
the  mail  service  svas  between  Chicago  and 
Cincinnati. 

On  the  3d  of  Januar}',  1876,  Mr.  Eliwood 
was  united  in  marriage  at  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire,  with  Miss  Emma  L.  Garvin,  a 
native  of  Chichester,  New  Hampshire,  and 
a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Eunice  (Leavitt) 
Garvin,  the  former  a  native  of  Garvin  Falls, 
New  Hampshire,  and  the  latter  of  Chiches- 
ter, in  the  same  state,  and  the  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Leavitt.  To  this  union  there 
were  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living, —  Mildred  G.,  Sallie  E.,  E.  Eleanor 
and  A.  Leonard.  Reuben.  Jr.,  died  at  the 
age  of  three  and  a  half  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1877,  our  subject  became 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  manufact- 
uring business  in  Sycamore,  under  the  tirm 
name  of  the  R.  Eliwood  Manufacturing 
Company.  This  connection  was  continued 
until  the  fall  of  1880,  when  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  wire  fence  stretchers, 
which  he  successfully  conducted  for  four 
years.  Ici  December,  18S4,  that  business 
was  consolidated  with  the  R.  Eliwood  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  and  he  was  made 
manager  for  the  entire  business.  After  the 
death  of  the  father  he  purchased  the  entire 
stock  and  plant  and  continued  the  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  the  Abram  Eliwood 
Company.  He  perfected  many  of  the  ma- 
chines in  his  plant,  and  succeeded  in  build- 

12 


ing  up  a  very  extensive  trade,  and  employed 
a  large  number  of  men.  His  success  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  citizens  of  other 
places,  and  he  was  offered  a  bonus  of  thirty- 
five  thousand  dollars  if  he  would  remove  the 
plant  to  De  Kalb.  This  offer  he  accepted, 
and  in  1892  removed  to  De  Kalb,  looking 
after  the  erection  of  buildings  from  his  own 
plans,  which  made  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete manufacturing  concerns  in  the  countrj'. 
In  the  fall  of  1896  Mr.  Eliwood  formed 
a  stock  company,  in  order  that  he  might 
relieve  himself  of  much  of  the  hard  work 
that  was  gradually  breaking  him  down.  He 
was  a  man  of  wonderful  energy,  who  did 
honestly  everything  that  he  undertook,  and 
the  excessive  mental  strain  required  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  business  hastened,  if  not 
entirely  induced,  his  death.  A  short  time 
prior  to  his  death,  he  took  up  quarters  at 
the  sanitarium.  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  but 
it  was  of  no  avail,  the  disease  being  too  far 
advanced.  He  died  November  11,  1897, 
while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life  and  usefulness, 
a  martyr  to  self-imposed  duty.  From  a 
small  beginning  he  had  developed  the  busi- 
ness to  one  of  large  proportions,  employing 
from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  men,  to 
whom  he  ever  showed  the  greatest  kindness 
and  consideration.  Politicall\-  he  was  a 
Republican,  but  never  a  partisan.  Because 
of  his  business  ability,  rather  than  his  pol- 
itical training,  he  was  called  upon  to  serve 
as  alderman  of  the  city,  and  also  as  its 
mayor,  serving  in  the  latter  position  from 
18S9  to  1 89 1.  A  friend  of  education,  he 
served  for  some  years  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  people.  Before  his  death  he  became  a 
communicant  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  was  faithful  to  the  last,  djing  in  the 
full    assurance  of    faith   and    in    the    hope 


240 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  a  resurrection  and  a  reunion  of  loved  ones 
beyond  the  grave.  Mrs.  Ellwood  and  her 
two  oldest  children  are  also  members  of  the 
same  church.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Ellwood 
was  a  Mason  of  high  standing. 


SAMUEL  PETERSON,  contractor  and 
builder,  residing  in  De  Kalb,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Sweden,  born  in  1S55,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Mary  Peterson,  both  na- 
tives of  the  same  country,  who  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1869,  locating  in 
De  Kalb  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  some  of  their  relatives  had 
previously  located.  John  Peterson  was  a 
cooper  by  trade,  and  followed  that  occupa- 
tion during  his  entire  residence  in  De  Kalb. 
His  death  occurred  in  1892,  his  wife  pre- 
ceding him  to  their  heavenly  home  some 
twenty-one  years,  dying  in  1871.  Their 
family  consisted  of  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  yet  living. 

Samuel  Peterson,  our  subject,  was  four- 
teen years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  country.  For  about  five 
years  alter  his  arrival  he  worked  on  various 
farms.  His  father  and  a  brother  being 
mechanics,  he  associated  himself  with  them 
and  soon  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he  has  followed  continuously  to  the 
present  time.  He  is  a  first-class  workman, 
and  has  done  much  of  the  best  work  in  De 
Kalb  for  the  past  twenty  years.  He  keeps 
under  his  supervision  twentj'  men,  repre- 
senting the  various  trades  employed  in  the 
construction  and  completion  of  dwellings. 
In  1896  he  erected  thirty-one  houses  in  De 
Kalb,  a  greater  number  than  was  ever  built 
by  one  man  in  any  previous  \ear. 

In  1883  Mr.  Peterson  married  Miss 
Christine    Peterson,    a    native    of    Sweden, 


born  July  7,  1862,  and  the  daughter  of 
John  Peterson,  also  a  native  of  Sweden, 
who  removed  to  this  country  about  1869. 
By  this  union  six  children  were  born:  Edna 
G.,  August  I,  1S84;  Roy  M.,  October  7, 
1886;  Earl  R.,  October  10,  1889;  Irving, 
August  4,  1891;  Ruth  L.,  July  19,  1894; 
and  Anna  M.,  September   16,  1897. 

By  his  industry  and  gentlemanly  de- 
portment, Mr.  Peterson  has  endeared  him- 
self to  the  people  of  De  Kalb  and  built  for 
himself  not  only  an  extensive  business,  but 
a  name  that  will  last.  He  has  been  fortu- 
nate in  his  business  ventures  and  is  the 
owner  of  a  number  of  lots  in  the  city,  on 
which  he  has  built  neat  and  comfortable 
residences,  and  has  now  thirty-one  buildings 
under  his  care,  with  a  monthly  revenue 
from  this  source  of  over  three  hundred 
dollars.  The  estimation  in  which  he  is 
held  by  the  people  is  shown  by  his  elec- 
tion as  alderman  for  the  fourth  year,  an 
office  he  fills  with  credit  to  himself  and 
honor  to  those  whom  he  represents.  Like 
every  clear-headed  man,  who  looks  into  the 
future  and  plans  for  emergencies  which 
cannot  be  averted,  he  has  for  several  years 
carried  for  himself  and  wife  heavy  insur- 
ance policies.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Swe- 
dish Lutheran  church,  of  which  body  his 
wife  is  also  a  member. 


EDWARD  B.  POWERS,  a  leading  and 
influential  farmer,  residing  on  section 
33,  Paw  Paw  township,  owns  and  cultivates 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  home 
place,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  in  another 
farm.  He  was  born  in  La  Salle  county, 
Illinois,  September  iC,  1841.  His  father, 
Norman  H.  Powers,  and  his  grandfather 
Powers    were    natives  .of    Vermont.       The 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


241 


latter  was  a  hunter  of  repute,  with  a  family 
of  seventeen  children.  He  removed  from 
Vermont  with  his  faniilj-,  to  New  York,  in 
an  early  day,  and  there  Norman  Powers 
grew  to  manhood.  Early  in  the  thirties, 
when  a  young  man,  he  went  west,  and  set- 
tled in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  later 
returned  east,  and  in  Canada  married 
Catherine  Hart,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
a  daughter  of  James  Hart,  also  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  was  for  many  years  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon  in  the  English  arm\',  and  who 
settled  in  Canada  after  leaving  the  service. 
Immediately  after  his  marriage,  Norman 
Powers  returned  with  his  bride  to  La  Salle 
county  and  located  in  what  is  now  Earl 
township,  where  he  improved  a  farm,  which 
he  later  sold,  and  purchased  the  place  where 
his  son  now  resides.  He  entered  this  land 
with  a  soldier's  warrant,  and  it  comprised 
one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  in  its  native 
state.  There  was  not  a  house  in  sight  when 
he  purchased  the  place.  He  bought  an  old 
frame  house,  which  he  moved  on  the  tract, 
and  there  resided  while  erecting  a  more 
comfortable  residence.  All  the  lumber  used 
in  the  house,  he  hauled  from  Chicago. 
As  soon  as  located,  he  at  once  commenced 
the  improvement  of  the  farm,  the  first  year 
putting  in  a  crop  of  five  acres  of  corn.  At 
that  time  wild  game,  geese,  ducks  and 
prairie  chickens,  were  in  abundance,  and 
they  ate  up  almost  the  entire  crop.  In  the 
spring  of  1852,  he  started  with  an  ox  team, 
in  company  with  four  men,  for  California, 
making  the  overland  trip,  and  spent  about 
two  years  in  getting  out  ship  timbers;  while 
there  he  was  fairly  successful,  but  was  glad 
to  return  to  his  Illinois  farm.  He  returned 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  to  New 
York,  and  from  there  by  rail  to  his  home. 
.\fter  his  return    he   was   elected  supervisor 


of  his  township,  and  held  several  other  mi- 
nor official  positions.  In  1 861,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalr\-,  and 
with  his  regiment  went  to  the  front.  At 
the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  he  was 
wounded  by  a  piece  of  shell,  and  perma- 
nently disabled.  He  was  therefore  dis- 
charged, returned  home,  and  later  gave  up 
the  farm  and  removed  to  Earlville,  Illinois, 
where  he  resided  some  three  or  four  years, 
then  went  to  Scranton,  Iowa,  and  died  at 
the  residence  of  a  daughter,  June  7,  1882. 
His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years 
and  passed  away  April  6,  1896.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
Edward  B.,  our  subject  being  the  first  born. 
Christie  is  the  wife  of  Hon.  H.  M.  Board- 
man,  whose  sketch  appears  elsowhere  in 
this  work.  Susan  A.  is  the  wife  of  J.  E. 
Moss,  of  Scranton,  Iowa.  Elizabeth  died 
in  April,  1861,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 
Horace  E.  is  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  is 
engaged  in  practice  at  Scranton,  Iowa. 

Edward  B.  Powers  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm,  where  he  received  very 
limited  educational  advantages.  After  his 
father  was  discharged  and  returned  home 
from  the  army,  he  enlisted,  August  15. 1862, 
joining  his  father's  old  company  and  regi- 
ment. His  father  returned  home  on  Sat- 
urday night,  and  on  the  following  Tuesday 
he  enlisted  and  joined  the  regiment  at  Tren- 
ton, Tennessee.  With  his  regiment  he  en- 
gaged in  scouting  duty,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1862,  at  Chestnut  Bluffs,  Tennessee,  he  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy  and  held  for 
about  eighteen  hours,  when  he  was  paroled 
and  returned  to  his  regiment.  After  his  ex- 
change, he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  discharged  at  Springfield,  Illinois, 
in  July,  1865.  When  he  enlisted  he  left  the 
harvest  field  with  the  wheat   uncut  and   the 


^42 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


reaper  in  the  field,  where  it  remained  until 
the  next  spring,  when  it  was  pulled  out  in 
order  to  plant  a  new  crop.  The  war  senti-. 
ment  in  his  neighborhood  at  that  time  was 
very  strong,  and  nearly  every  able-bodied 
mad  enlisted. 

After  his  discharge,  Mr.  Powers  returned 
home  and  worked  for  various  farmers  until 
the  fall  of  1867,  when  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  section 
28,  Paw  Paw  township,  a  partially  improved 
place.  On  the  first  of  December,  1867,  in 
De  Kalb  county,  he  married  Miss  Nancy  A. 
Weddell,  born  in  Paw  Paw  township,  and  a 
daughter  of  W.  B.  Weddell,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  county.  By  this  union 
there  were  three  children.  Katie  C.  grew 
to  mature  years  and  died  single  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years.  Agnes  G.  also  grew 
to  womanhood,  and  died  when  nineteen 
years  old.  Beth  A.  is  a  student  of  the  home 
schools. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pow- 
ers began  their  domestic  life  on  a  farm, 
which  he  purchased  but  a  short  time  pre- 
vious, and  there  resided  for  eight  years, 
and  then  returned  to  the  old  home  farm. 
Since  removing  to  the  old  homestead  he 
has  made  many  improvements  on  the  two 
farms,  including  over  seventeen  miles  of 
tiling.  In  addition  to  general  farming  he 
has  been  engaged  in  breeding  and  dealing 
in  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  annually  feeds  and 
ships  several  car  loads  of  cattle  and  hogs. 
Politically  Mr.  Powers  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  U. 
S.  Grant  in  1868.  He  has  ever  taken  an 
active  interest  in  local  politics,  and  has 
served  two  years  as  assessor  of  his  township, 
and  for  twenty  years  has  been  school  trustee 
and  director,  and  clerk  of  his  school  district 
for  the  same   length    of  time.      He   and  his 


wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Rolla,  and  are  highly  esteemed 
for  their  real  worth.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic. A  life-long  resident  of  La  Salle  and 
De  Kalb  counties,  he  has  witnessed  their 
growth  and  development,  and  has  worked 
with  others  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
general  good  of  his  county  and  country. 


ALBERT  S.  KINSLOE,  the  present 
efficient  county  clerk  of  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  is  a  veteran  of  the  war  for 
the  union,  with  a  record  of  nearly  four  years 
of  faithful  service.  He  was  born  in  Hunting- 
don county,  Pennsylvania,  in  December, 
1S40,  and  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Lemuel  and  Isa- 
bella (Thompson)  Kinsloe.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1808, 
and  was  a  son  of  James  Kinsloe,  who  was  a 
native  of  Scotland.  Dr.  Kinsloe  was  a 
practicing  physician,  and  came  west  in  the 
spring  of  1854,  locating  at  Ross'  Grove,  De 
Kalb  county.  He  died  in  1870.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican,  and  religiously  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Associate  Reformed  (Presbyterian) 
church.  He  was  a  man  of  medium  height, 
mild  disposition,  firm  in  character  and  strict 
in  his  religious  views.  His  wife  was  born 
at  Spruce  Creek,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of 
Irish  ancestry.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
same  church  as  her  husband.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1872.  They  were  the  patents 
of  four  children — Albert  S.,  our  subject; 
Allen  G.,  deceased;  Clara  T.,  deceased; 
and  Harris  E.,  residing  at  Corsicanna, 
Texas. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  resided  in 
Huntingdon  count}',  Pennsylvania,  until 
about  five  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
removed   to    Juniata    county,    in    the   same 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


243 


state.  On  the  removal  of  his  parents  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  he  accompanied 
them  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
finishing  his  school  life  in  the  academy  at 
East  Paw  Paw,  Illinois.  He  was  living 
with  his  parents  at  Earlville,  Illinois,  and 
engaged  in  clerking,  at  the  commencement 
of  the  Civil  war  and  enlisted  April  26, 
1 86 1,  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Twenty- 
third  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
mustered  into  the  service  at  Chicago,  and 
with  his  regiment  in  June  following  went  to 
Ouincy,  Illinois,  thence  to  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, near  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  later  to 
Jefferson  City,  in  the  same  state.  The  ne.xt 
move  was  to  Lexington,  Missouri,  where 
the  regiment  was  captured  by  General 
Price.  Being  sick  at  the  time,  Mr.  Kinsloe 
was  not  taken  prisoner.  The  regiment  was 
released  on  parole  and  was  sent  to  Benton 
Barracks,  Missouri,  where  it  was  discharged 
by  order  of  General  Fremont  October  8, 
1861. 

On  being  discharged  Mr.  Kinsloe  re- 
turned to  Earlville  and  on  November  26, 
1 86 1,  re-enlisted  in  Company  D,  Fifty-third 
Regiment  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  which 
was  recruited  at  Earlville,  and  of  which  he 
was  elected  and  commissioned  second 
lieutenant.  The  regiment  first  went  into 
camp  at  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and  from  there  it 
was  sent  to  Camp  Douglas,  near  Chicago, 
where  it  remained  until  early  in  the  spring 
of  1862,  when  it  was  sent  to  Cairo  and  from 
there  to  Savannah,  Tennessee.  From 
Savannah  they  moved  to  Pittsburg  Landing, 
reaching  there  the  second  day  of  the  battle. 
From  Pittsburg  Landing  they  marched  to 
Corinth  and  from  there  to  Memphis,  where 
the  regiment  was  engaged  in  maneuvering 
about  that  section,  and  doing  scout  duty  for 
some  time.     On  the  way  to  Memphis  they 


stopped  at  Grand  Junction,  Tennessee, 
Holly  Springs,  La  Grange,  Moscow  and 
Germantown,  arriving  at  Memphis  in  July, 
1862. 

On  the  sixth  of  September,  1862,  the 
regiment  left  Memphis  and  marched  to  Bol- 
ivar. October  5th,  1862,  they  were  en- 
gaged in  fighting  Price  between  Bolivar  and 
Corinth,  and  were  with  Grant  on  his  march 
down  through  Mississippi  to  Oxford,  that 
state,  and  after  the  surrender  at  Holly 
Springs  they  fell  back  with  Grant's  army 
and  went  to  Memphis.  Later  they  went 
down  the  river  to  Young's  Point,  opposite 
Vicksburg,  then  up  the  Yazoo  to  Snyder's 
Bluff,  from  where  they  marched  to  a  posi- 
tion on  the  left  of  the  lines  in  rear  of 
Vicksburg,  and  were  there  engaged  until  the 
surrender,  July  4,  1863.  Our  subject  next 
took  part  in  following  General  Johnston, 
and  participated  in  the  fight  at  Jackson, 
Juiv  12,  1863.  .-^fter  this,  his  command  re- 
turned to  \'icksburg  and  from  there  went  to 
Natchez,  but  again  returned  to  \"icksburg 
when  it  entered  on  and  took  part  in  the 
Meridian  campaign. 

Subsequently  returning  to  \'icksburg, 
the  regiment  veteranized,  and  the  men  were 
granted  furloughs  to  visit  their  homes.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  furlough  the  regiment 
re-united  at  St.  Louis  and  there  took  trans- 
ports for  Clifton,  Tennessee,  from  there 
they  marched  across  the  country  by  way  of 
Huntsville,  Georgia,  striking  the  Georgia 
Central  Railroad  at  Kingston.  Their  next 
march  was  south  to  Allatoona,  where  they 
halted  until  the  army  moving  on  Atlanta 
crossed  the  Chatahoochie  river.  Lieutenant 
Kinsloe  took  part  in  all  the  battles  in  which 
his  regiment  was  engaged  until  the  fall  of 
.Atlanta.  His  regiment  was  on  the  left 
where  the  brave  McPherson  fell, 


244 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


After  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  Lieutenant 
Kinsloe  was  detailed  on  the  staff  of  General 
Potts,  as  acting  assistant  adjutant-general. 
First  Brigade,  Fourth  Division,  Seventeenth 
Army  Corps,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
until  he  was  mustered  out  March  31,  1865. 
Enlisting  as  a  private,  he  was  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant, to  take  rank  from  January 
1,  1862;  to  first  lieutenant,  to  take  rank 
from  August  6,  1863,  and  to  captain,  Janu- 
ary 31,  1865.  Returning  to  his  home  in 
Earlville,  Captain  Kinsloe  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  for  a  time,  then  went  to 
Neponset,  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  and  re- 
mained there  until  the  fall  of  1868,  when 
he  removed  to  Malta,  Illinois,  where  he 
lived  until  1892,  when  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Sycamore.  When  he  went  to  Malta, 
Captain  Ivinsloe  went  into  the  produce  busi- 
ness, and  was  also  agent  of  the  American 
Express  Company.  In  1873  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Malta,  which  position 
he  held  for  thirteen  years.  While  residing 
there  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education  for  twelve  years,  a  part  of  which 
time  he  was  president  of  the  board.  In 
1886,  he  was  elected  county  treasurer,  and 
served  the  full  term  of  four  years.  In  1890, 
he  was  elected  county  clerk,  and  re-elected 
in  1894,  'irid  at  this  writing  has  received  the 
nomination  for  the  third  time. 

Mr.  Kinsloe  was  united  in  marriage  De- 
cember 29,  1865,  to  Miss  Caroline  W.  Cook, 
daughter  of  Nelson  and  Lucretia  (Ives) 
Cook,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Con- 
necticut, where  she  was  also  born.  Their 
children  were  George  H.,  Lola,  Lucretia, 
Delos,  Caroline,  Friend  M.,  Artie,  Eliza, 
Adelbert  and  Lyman,  all  of  whom  are  3'et 
living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kinsloe  one  child 
was  born,  Nora  B.,  now  the  wife  of  C.  P. 
Underwood,  living  at  Danberry,  Nebraska. 


They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Homer,  Carrie,  Hazel,  Edna,  Ruth 
and  Nancy.  Of  the  number  Carrie  is  de- 
ceased. 

Religiously  Mrs.  Kinsloe  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Politically 
Captain  Kinsloe  is  a  Republican,  and  frater- 
nally is  a  member  of  the  Masons,  Knights  of 
P\thias,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
has  served  several  terms  as  commander  of 
his  post.  He  has  ever  taken  an  active  part 
in  political  matters,  and  has  served  fre- 
quently as  delegate  to  the  various  conven- 
tions of  his  party,  and  in  June,  1898,  was  a 
delegate  to  the  state  convention.  He  has 
ever  been  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar officials  in  De  Kalb  county.  At  the 
county  convention  in  1S94,  and  also  in  i8g8, 
he  received  the  nomination  by  acclamation. 
He  is  always  at  his  post  of  duty,  accommo- 
dating to  all,  and  efficient  in  the  discharge 
of  his  responsible  duties.  He  is  a  man  of 
warm  heart,  sympathetic  and  popular  with 
all  who  know  him. 


HENRY  N.  PERKINS,  who  is  living  a 
retired  life  in  Genoa,  is  a  well-known 
citizen  of  the  place  and  of  De  Kalb  county. 
He  was  born  in  Columbia  county.  New 
York,  August  12,  1833.  His  father,  Hora- 
tio N.  Perkins,  was  born  in  Grotton,  Con- 
necticut, November  13,  1808,  and  re- 
moved to  Columbia  countj'.  New  York, 
where  he  married  Eliza  \\'allace,  a  native  of 
that  county  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Betsy  (Stacey )  Wallace,  her  father  being  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Her  mother 
spent  the  last  years  of  her  life  in  Genoa, 
with  her  daughter,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
si.xty-seven  years. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


-M5 


In  1837,  Horatio  X.  Perkins  n^oved  with 
his  family  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and 
located  in  Genoa,  where  our  subject  was 
reared.  When  he  came  to  Genoa  he  had 
the  foresight  to  secure  a  large  amount  of 
land  which  he  believed  would  some  day  be 
verj'  valuable.  .\t  the  time  of  his  death  he 
had  nearly  five  hundred  acres  of  as  fine  land 
as  an\'  in  the  township,  leaving  an  estate  to 
the  amount  of  more  than  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  He  died  in  1S8S,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years.  In  1843,  he  built  the 
Pacific  Hotel  in  Genoa,  which  has  been  in 
existence  from  that  time  to  the  present.  He 
continued  to  operate  the  hotel  uniil  1854, 
when  he  retired  to  his  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained until  about  1872,  when  he  returned 
to  Genoa,  and  there  resided  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  the  son  of 
James  Perkins,  a  farmer  who  lived  and  died 
in  New  York  state,  his  death  occurring  at 
the  age  of  ninetj-three  years. 

Henry  N.  Perkins  was  but  four  years  of 
age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Ge- 
noa. His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
old  log  schoolhouse,  near  the  present  site 
of  the  village,  with  the  addition  of  two 
terms  at  Mt.  Morris  .Academy.  He  remained 
with  his  father  until  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  when  he  began  farming  for  himself 
in  Genoa  township,  on  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  deeded  him  by  his 
father.  In  1866  he  sold  the  farm  and  went 
into  the  mercantile  business  at  Genoa, 
keeping  a  general  store.  In  that  line  he 
continued  until  1882,  when  he  sold,  and  for 
two  years  lived  a  retired  life.  In  1884  he 
opened  a  hardware  store,  in  partnership 
with  his  son,  but  in  1888  retired,  leaving 
his  son  sole  proprietor. 

Mr.  Perkins  was  married  February  28, 
1855,  to  Margaret  Stiles,  born  in  Feeleys- 


burg,  Canada,  and  who  died  in  Genoa, 
March  26,  1880.  They  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  early 
childhood.  Horatio  A.  is  now  engaged  in 
the  hardware  business  at  Genoa  and  is  an 
enterprising  business  man,  at  present  serv- 
ing as  township  clerk.  He  married  Sarah 
Holroyd,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Holroyd, 
and  they  have  now  two  children,  a  son  and 
a  daughter.  Marian  married  Charles  Stott, 
of  Des  Plaines,  Illinois,  and  they  have  one 
daughter.  Mary  married  Frank  E.  White, 
who  is  operating  our  subject's  farm  in  Mar- 
tin county,  Minnesota.  They  have  five 
children.  Jennie  married  Xewton  Stanley, 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Riley  town- 
ship, McHenry  county,  Illinois.  They  have 
three  children.  Since  retiring  from  the 
mercantile  business,  Mr.  Perkins  has  given 
personal  supervision  to  his  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  lying  partly  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Genoa.  He  has  twenty  acres  of 
timber  land  on  the  Kishwaukee  river,  near 
Genoa.  In  addition  he  has  a  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Martin  county, 
Minnesota,  on  which  his  daughter  lives. 
The  farm  is  well  improved,  having  a  com- 
fortable house,  good  barns  and  outbuildings, 
and  is  well  drained.  Since  coming  into 
possession  of  his  present  farm  in  Genoa, 
^fr.  Perkins  has  rebuilt  the  house,  making 
additions  to  it,  improved  and  repaired  the 
barns,  and  has  laid  three  miles  of  tiling. 
He  has  also  sunk  a  deep  well  and  erected  a 
good  svindmill,  and  in  all  has  a  very  valu- 
able place.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the 
village  board,  serving  five  terms  as  presi- 
dent of  the  board.  For  ten  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors, 
and  has  served  as  town  clerk,  and  held 
other  minor  offices.      During  the  Civil  war 


246 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


he  was  a  member  of  the  Union  League.  As 
a  citizen  he  is  thoroughly  representative  of 
the  business  interests  of  his  adopted  town 
and  count}'. 


JOHN  McGIRR,  a  leading  and  influential 
farmer  of  Afton  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  the  township, 
born  August  7,  1857,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Mar}'  (Powers)  McGirr,  both  na- 
tives of  Ireland,  the  father  from  count}^ 
Dublin,  and  the  mother  from  county  Water- 
ford,  who  were  the  parents  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  deceased.  The 
living  are  Dennis,  John,  Rose,  Patrick, 
Theresa  and  Ella.  In  1850  John  McGirr, 
Sr. ,  came  to  America,  and  first  settled  in 
St.  Charles,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  until  1853,  when  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  county,  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  si.xtj'  acres  of  government 
land,  which  he  improved  and  to  which  he 
added  from  time  to  time  until  he  had  six 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  valuable  farm- 
ing lands.  He  was  an  industrious  and  en- 
terprising man,  and  was  quite  successful  in 
all  his  business  undertakings. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
in  his  native  township,  and  educated  in  its 
public  schools.  His  entire  life  has  been 
spent  in  farming,  with  the  exception  of 
about  three  years  in  the  stock  and  grain 
business  at  Cortland  and  DeKalb.  In  1881 
he  made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  buying 
two  hundred  acres  where  he  now  resides. 
To  this  he  has  since  added  eighty  acres, 
and  also  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Milan  township,  making  his  farming 
lands  comprise  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  all  of  which  is  improved  and  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation. 


On  the  14th  of  November,  1882,  Mr. 
McGirr  married  Hannah  Redman,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1859,  and  the 
daughter  of  Murt  Redman,  who  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  in  1871,  and  by  this  union 
there  were  four  children  born — three  are 
living:  Murt  D. ,  Lewis  and  Elizabeth,  all  of 
whom  yet  remain  under  the  parental  roof. 
One  child,  J.  F. ,  is  deceased.  Religiously 
Mr.  McGirr  and  his  family  are  connected  with 
the  Roman  Catholic  church.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat,  having  voted  that  party 
ticket  since  attaining  his  majority.  He  was 
elected  road  commissioner  in  1891,  re-elected 
in  1894  and  in  1897.  That  he  makes  an 
efficient  officer  is  shown  b)'  his  continued 
re-election.  He  has  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  school  trustees  with 
satisfaction  to  his  fellow-citizens.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America.  In  a  social  way  he  is 
greatly  esteemed  and  has  many  friends 
throughout  De  Kalb  county. 


THOMAS  RENWICK,  who  owns  and 
operates  a  fine  farm  on  section  2, 
South  Grove  township,  is  a  native  of  Dum- 
fries county,  Scotland,  born  April  29,  1834, 
and  is  the  son  of  Walter  and  Mary  (Weil) 
Renwick,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland 
and  the  latter  of  England.  They  were  the 
parents  of  sixteen  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  fourteenth  in  order  of  birth.  The 
family  came  from  Scotland  to  America  in 
1835,  an<i  located  first  in  Canada,  where  the 
father  engaged  in  farming  until  1845,  when 
he  came  to  Illinois,  located  first  in  Kane 
county  and  later  coming  to  Cortland  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county,  and  from  there  to 
Pierce  township. 

The   subject  of   this  sketch   was  in  his 


LIBRARV 

OF  THE 

L'NIVERGITy  OF   ILIINOI-^ 


* 


JOHN   McGIRR, 


MRS.  JOHN   McGIRR. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVLRCITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


251 


infancy  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Canada,  and  was  but  eleven  \'ears  of  age 
when  he  came  with  them  to  Illinois.  His 
education  was  obtained  principally  in  the 
common  schools  of  this  state.  He  started 
in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  working  on  a  farm  by  the  month  at 
ten  dollars.  On  the  9th  da\-  of  March, 
1864,  he  married  Lucy -A^.  Ramsey,  a  native 
of  South  Grove  township,  De  Kalb  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  George  Ramsey,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsy'lvania,  and  a  farmer  by 
occupation  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1838, 
first  locating  in  Monroe  township,  Ogle 
county,  Illinois,  where  she  was  born.  By 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born: 
Bessie,  Lucy  O.,  and  Thomas  J. 

Starting  in  life  without  a  cent  and  re- 
ceiving no  aid  from  any  source,  Mr.  Ren- 
wick  has  made  a  success  and  has  now  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  as  tine  land 
as  there  is  in  De  Kalb  county,  all  being 
well  improved,  with  good  buildings  and 
properly  drained.  In  politics  he  is  an 
ardent  Republican  and  has  held  the  office 
of  road  commissioner.  .As  a  man  he  enjoys 
the  utmost  confidence  and  respect  of  all 
who  know  him. 


PETER  MILLER  is  one  of  the  substan- 
tial farmers  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  re- 
sides upon  section  24,  Shabbona  township, 
but  is  now  living  retired.  For  fifty-three 
3'ears  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county, 
arriving  here  June  7,  1845.  He  is  a  native 
of  Columbia  county,  New  York,  born  Feb- 
ruary 2r,  1816,  and  is  the  son  of  Simeon 
Miller,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Columbia 
county,  and  who  served  as  a  soldier  during 
the  war  of  18 12.  He  married  Betsy  Bedell, 
with  whom  he  later  moved  to  Cayuga  coun- 


ty. New  York,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1824.  His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of 
years,  and  reared  their  family  of  si.\  sons 
and  si.\  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  and 
his  brother  Robert  are  the  only  survivors. 
Robert  Miller  is  a  retired  farmer  and  now 
living  near  Miiledgeville,  Iowa.  The  Miller 
family  are  of  German  ancestry,  the  first  of 
the  family  settling  in  New  York  in  the  pio- 
neer days  of  that  state. 

The  subject  of  thissketch  grew  to  mature 
years  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  being  spent  on  a  farm,  his 
education  being  received  in  the  common 
schools,  which  he  attended  but  a  few  weeks 
during  the  winter  months.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  the  town  of  Victory,  Cayuga  county, 
New  York.  February  25,  1841,  to  Elizabeth 
Quilhot,  a  nati\e  of  Cayuga  county,  and 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Hannah  (Van 
Allen)  Quilhot,  and  a  sister  of  Peter  V. 
Quilhot,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller 
commenced  their  domestic  life  in  the  village 
of  \'ictory.  where  he  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  for  about  three  years.  He  then 
came  west  to  Illinois,  and  took  up  a  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  in  Shabbona 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  after  which  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  New  York.  In 
1S45  h6  came  with  his  family  to  thecounty, 
by  way  of  the  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo,  thence 
across  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  and  by  teams  to 
Shabbona.  On  the  place  was  a  small  log 
house,  in  which  they  lived  for  a  few  years 
while  opening  up  the  farm.  The  country 
was  then  all  new,  and  for  the  first  two  years 
they  experienced  all  the  hardships  and  pri- 
vations of  pioneer  life.  In  1856,  the  old 
log  house  gave  place  to  a  neat  and  substan- 
tial residence  and  as  the  years  went  *by, 
barns  and  other  outbuildings  v/ere  erected, 


!5: 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  the  place  was  transformed  into  the  sub- 
stantial farm  wliich  is  seen  to-day. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  now  living.  Two  of 
their  children  died  in  infancy,  and  one, 
Peter  V.,  at  the  age  of  about  ten  years. 
The  living  are  Mary  Elizabeth  and  Minard 
S.  The  former  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Stewart,  of  Chicago.  Minard  S.  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  township,  and  at 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  June  30,  i88r,  mar- 
ried Clara  E.  Adams,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
born  at  Normal,  and  a  daughter  of  K.  P. 
Adams,  of  Illinois,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war,  serving  through  the  entire  service. 
After  his  discharge  he  joined  his  wife  in 
Warren  county,  Indiana,  where  they  resided 
some  years,  then  removed  to  Kansas,  finall)' 
locating  at  Dodge  City,  in  that  state.  Mrs. 
Miller  was  educated  in  Indiana,  and  later 
was  for  two  \  ears  a  teacher  in  Dodge  City, 
Kansas.  Minard  S.  Miller  and  wife  com- 
menced their  domestic  life  on  the  farm 
where  they  now  reside.  However,  he  was 
for  two  years  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
in  Kochelle,  Illinois.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, F"lossie  May  and  Francis  Peter. 

In  early  manhood  our  subject  was  iden- 
tified with  the  Democratic  party,  but  for 
reason  of  his  liberty  loving  principles,  he 
became  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 
Office  holding  has  never  been  to  his  taste, 
and  he  has  invariably  declined  when  any 
office  was  tendered  him.  With  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  De  Kalb  county,  he  has 
been  identified  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
He  is  well  known,  especially  throughout  the 
southern  section  of  the  county,  and  has 
many  friends  who  have  the  utmost  confi- 
dence in  him  as  a  man  and  citizen,  and  who 
will  be  pleased  to  read  this  sketch  in  the 
biographical  record  of  the  county. 


CHARLES  H.  CROSBY,  deceased,  was 
for  years  a  representative  of  the  busi- 
ness and  commercial  interests  of  Sycamore. 
He  was  born  in  lielvidere,  Illinois,  February 
27,  1S44,  and  was  the  son  of  Frederick  and 
Parmelia  (Sweet)  Crosby,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  state  and  a  miller  by 
trade,  who  came  west  at  an  early  day  and 
located  at  Belvidere,  Illinois.  His  death 
occurred  November  20,  1846,  having  been 
born  at  Dudley,  Massachusetts,  May  30, 
181 5,  son  of  Nathaniel  Crosby.  He  was 
the  grandson  of  Rev.  Pearson  Crosby  and 
great-grandson  of  Stephen  Crosb}'. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  city,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  its  public  schools.  In  his  j'outh 
he  began  clerking  in  a  store  in  Belvidere, 
where  he  received  a  good  business  training. 
In  1872  he  came  to  Sycamore,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself  in  the  line  of 
men's  furnishing  goods,  in  which  he  contin- 
ued until  his  death,  April  3,  1893.  Previous 
to  his  leaving  Belvidere  in  October,  1870, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary 
E.  Wing,  a  native  of  Cortland,  New  York, 
and  second  in  a  family  of  seven  children 
born  to  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Johnson)  Wing, 
the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  Samuel  John- 
son and  a  nati\e  of  New  York.  Joseph 
^^'ing  was  likewise  a  native  of  New  York; 
his  father  was  David  Wing,  who  married 
Desire  Vincent.  They  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children.  They  are  descended 
from  John  Wing,  who  first  came  to  Boston 
in  1632,  from  England,  and  later  settled  at 
Lynn  in  the  early  colonial  period.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Crosby  two  children  were  born: 
Grace  A.  and  Harold.  The  latter  died  De- 
cember 8,  1893.  The  former  is  yet  living, 
and  resides  with  her  mother  in  Sycamore. 
Mrs.  Crosby  and  her  daughter  are  members 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


253 


of  the  Congregational  church,  in  which  they 
are  actively  interested. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Crosby  was  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  politically  was  a  Republican.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  served  as  cit\-  clerk  of  Syca- 
more. A  man  of  good  business  ability,  en- 
terprising in  all  things,  the  community  lost 
an  excellent  business  man,  and  the  wife  and 
daughter  a  loving  husband  and  father. 


CHARLES  E.  DOANE,  after  a  third  of 
a  century  of  hard  labor  upon  the  farm, 
is  row  living  a  retired  life  in  the  village  of 
Malta.  He  was  born  in  De  Kalb,  St.  Law- 
rence county.  New  York,  July  13,  1838,  and 
is  the  son  of  Chauncey  and  Asenath  (^^'hite) 
Doane,  the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  By  occupa- 
tion Chauncey  Doane  was  a  farmer,  and 
confined  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits  dur- 
ing his  entire  life.  About  1820,  he  re- 
moved from  Connecticut  to  New  York, 
where  he  purchased  about  si.\  hundred  acres 
of  land,  all  of  which  was  in  timber  and  which 
he  cleared  up  during  his  life.  The  wood 
he  burned,  and  the  ashes  he  sold  for  chemi- 
cal purposes.  In  this  way  he  paid  for  hi.s 
land  and  its  clearing.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  push  and  energy,  honest  and  upright 
to  a  fault,  but  a  man  that  always  wanted 
what  belonged  to  him.  He  was  born  in 
1799,  and  had  just  reached  his  majority 
when  he  removed  from  his  native  state  to 
New  York.  His  death  occurred  in  the 
latter  state  in  1864.  while  his  wife  survived 
him  some  eleven  years,  dying  in  1875,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Their  family 
consisted  of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living,  three  now  residing  in  the  village 
of  Malta,   De  Kalb  county,  Illinois. 


Charles  E.  Doane  is  the  seventh  in 
order  of  birth  in  the  family  of  his  parents. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  at  De  Kalb, 
St.  Lawrence  count}'.  New  York,  and 
remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  and  located  in  South  Grove  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres  of  wild  prairie  land,  upon  which 
he  erected  buildings  and  made  other  im- 
provements, which  materially  advanced  its 
value.  This  farm  he  operated  as  a  general 
farmer  up  to  1897,  when  he  purchased 
several  lots  in  Malta,  upon  one  of  which  he 
resides  in  a  comfortable  home. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  1861,  Mr.  Doane 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Harriet 
Monroe,  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1 842, 
and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Catherine 
Monroe,  the  former  a  native  of  Canada 
and  the  latter  of  New  York.  B}^  this  union 
there  are  six  children,  of  whom  Cora  May, 
B3Ton  C,  Kittie  and  Emma  are  deceased. 
The  living  are  Malcolm  M.  and  Carrie.  The 
former  married  Miss  Eliza  Hallet,  and  oper- 
ates the  old  homestead.  Carrie  married 
Jacob  Willrett,  and  they  reside  in  Malta 
township.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Doane  died 
in  early  life,  while  his  wife  still  survives  him 
and  is  now  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  \ears. 

Political. y  Mr.  Doane  is  a  Democrat, 
and  a  firm  beliver  in  the  principles  of  the 
party.  He  has  been  honored  with  many  of 
the  township  olhces,  the  duties  of  which  he 
has  faithfully  discharged. 


GEORGE  OLMSTEAD  is  a  retired 
farmer  and  carpenter  residing  on  sec- 
tion 21,  Genoa  township.  He  was  born  at 
Davenport,  Delaware  county,    New    York, 


254 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


December  7,  1833,  and  is  the  son  of  John 
Ohnstead,  who  Jived  and  died  in  that 
county,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eif^ht  years.  He 
was  also  a  farmer  and  followed  shoemaking 
to  a  limited  extent.  He  was  a  son  of  Anson 
and  Charity  (Merrill)  Olnistead,  who  were 
natives  of  England.  John  Olmstead  mar- 
ried Sarah  A.  Cook,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject was  third  in  order  of  birth.  Sarah  A. 
Cook  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Utter)  Cook,  who  attained  the  ages  of 
eighty-five  and  ninety-five,  respectively. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
his  native  county,  where  he  remained  until 
April,  1855.  He  attended  a  few  terms  of 
school  during  the  winter  months,  in  country 
districts,  until  the  age  of  thirteen  years, 
since  which  time  he  has  daily  done  a  man's 
labor,  and  notwithstanding  his  many  years 
of  arduous  toil  he  is  still  hale  and  hearty. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  began  working  out 
on  farms,  doing  a  man's  work  in  hay  or 
grain  fields,  but  receiving  only  a  boy's  pay 
— three  dollars  and  a  half  a  month.  He 
continued  in  farm  work  by  the  month  until 
he  came  west  in  1855.  From  his  New 
York  home  he  came  direct  to  Genoa,  Illinois, 
and  worked  at  carpenter  work  until  1857. 
He  then  rented  a  farm,  and  continued  rent- 
ing some  eight  or  nine  years,  and  then  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Genoa  town- 
ship. He  later  sold  this  and  moved  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  where  he  resided 
six  years,  having  purchased  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  of  raw  prairie  land,  which  he 
very  much  improved.  Mr.  Olmstead  was 
married  in  Genoa  township,  to  Miss  Mary  B. 
Bartholomew,  a  native  of  Northumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Jerusha  (Evart)  Bartholomew.    By 


this  union  five  children  were  born,  three  of 
whom  are  living.  Henry  died  at  the  age  of 
one  month.  Eugene  Herbert  married  Etta 
Wooster,  by  whom  he  has  two  children. 
John  married  Clara  Love,  and  they  have  two 
children.  Lucy  and  Catherine  were  twins,  the 
latter  now  being  deceased.  Lucy  married 
Leonard  Durham,  and  they  have  one  child. 
On  the  1 2  th  of  September,  1872,  Mr. 
Olmstead  sold  his  Livingston  county  farm, 
and  October  17,  of  the  same  year,  pur- 
chased a  part  of  his  present  farm,  to  which 
he  removed  and  where  he  has  since  contin- 
ued to  reside.  He  added  to  his  original 
purchase,  until  he  has  now  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  si.\ty-five  acres,  as  fine  a  body 
of  land  as  one  would  wish  to  see.  Since 
188C  he  has  retired  from  farming,  leasing 
the  farm  to  his  son,  and  giving  his  entire 
attention  to  his  trade,  that  of  carpentering. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  For  forty- 
seven  years  he  has  been  an  active  and  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  having  a  love  for  the  Master's  cause. 


JOHN  LAWRENCE  is  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  Illi- 
nois. He  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in 
the  village  of  Thurnham,  near  Lancaster, 
July  10,  1830.  Until  twelve  years  of  age 
he  attended  school,  provided  by  the  benev- 
olence of  a  daughter  of  Squire  Dalton,  a 
gentleman  of  large  landed  estates,  who,  but 
for  his  Catholic  faith,  would  have  held  the 
title  of  nobility.  The  school  was  above  the 
usual  grade  in  those  days,  was  free  to  all  re- 
siding in  that  vicinity,  and  was  supported 
entirely  by  means  furnished  by  this  benev- 
olent young  lady  after  her  father's  death. 
Robert  Lawrence,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  also  a  native  of  Thurnham,  Eng- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


'■SS 


land,  and  was  a  common  laborer,  who  for 
many  years  was  employed  on  canal  boats 
running  from  Galasemdock  to  Kendall,  a 
business  at  which  our  subject  also  worked 
from  the  time  he  was  old  enough  to  work, 
until  coming  to  America  in  1850.  Robert 
Lawrence  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native 
shire  and  died  about  1865  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  He  was  a  lifelong  mem- 
ber of  the  established  Church  of  England 
and  married  Jane  Thronton.  a  native  of  the 
same  village,  who  died  when  about  fifty 
3"ears  old.  To  them  were  born  nine  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  came  to  America.  Ed- 
ward is  now  living  in  Elgin.  William  re- 
tired to  Elgin  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  ease,  but  died  in  Burlington,  Illinois, 
while  visiting  his  old  farm.  John  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

The  three  sons,  leaving  the  mother  coun- 
try, sailed  from  Liverpool,  March  17,  1850, 
on  the  vessel  Centurian,  and  were  thirty- 
three  days  on  the  voyage,  encountered  one 
severe  storm  and  landed  in  New  York.  The 
three  brothers  came  directU'  west,  and,  lo- 
cating at  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  engaged  in 
whatever  work  they  could  find  to  do  for  two 
years.  Our  subject  worked  for  the  railroad 
company  around  the  depot,  was  for  a  time 
helper  to  masons,  building  in  the  town,  and 
with  his  brothers  leased  a  quarry,  where 
thej'  worked  when  not  otherwise  employed, 
thus  losing  no  time  and  having  stone  ready 
for  delivery  when  purchasers  came.  During 
this  time  Mr.  Lawrence  often  worked  for 
eighty-seven  and  a  half  cents  a  day,  board- 
ing himself.  He  later  took  a  trip  south, 
seeking  work  and  prospecting  for  some  good 
place  in  which  to  locate.  Finding  none, 
however,  he  returned  to  St.  Charles  and  on 
the  31st  of  August,  1853,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Ann  Marshall,  born  in  Clif- 


ton, Nottinghamshire,  England.  October 
II,  1828,  and  who  came  to  America  with 
two  of  her  brothers,  John  and  Thomas,  in 
1S51,  the  three  taking  up  their  residence  in 
St.  Charles.  In  1848  her  brothers,  Will- 
iam and  George,  came  to  America,  and  in 
1852  her  parents  and  youngest  sister  fol- 
lowed. Mrs.  Lawrence  is  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Bingham)  Marshall,  the 
latter  born  in  Saxelby,  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, and  who  died  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Jane  (Job)  Bingham.  The  former  served 
for  some  years  in  the  British  arm}'  and  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy- five  years.  The  lat- 
ter died  when  about  forty  years  old.  Will- 
iam Marshall  was  born  in  Dunham,  Notting- 
hamshire. England,  in  1789,  and  died  in 
1876.  He  was  the  son  of  George  Marshall, 
a  teacher  and  highly  educated  man,  who 
died  in  England,  when  about  seventy-five 
years  old.  The  name  of  his  wife  is  not 
definitely  known,  but  probably  was  Miss 
Newbold.  Of  their  eleven  children,  eight 
came  to  .America. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  eight  children 
have  been  born.  Jennie  married  Ale.xan- 
der  Evans.  Clara  is  deceased.  William  is 
also  deceased.  Thomas  resides  in  Chicago, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  commission  busi- 
ness. John  M.,  who  married  Mary  .Mosher, 
lives  in  Chicago  and  the}'  have  three  chil- 
dren, Rupert,  George  and  Ruth.  Emma 
married  Charles  Wall,  a  grocer  residing  in 
Chicago.  They  have  two  children.  Ray- 
mond and  Willard.  George  married  Mer- 
tie  Rowe  and  they  reside  in  Galesville,  Wis- 
consin. They  have  one  daughter.  Hazel. 
Clara  May  died  in  infancy. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Lawrence  purchased  a  farm  at  Charter 
Grove,  Sycamore  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 


'56 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


t}',  on  which  he  resided  for  seven  years. 
He  then  sold  out  and  purchased  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  on  sections  i6  and  i  7, 
Burlington  township,  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
which  was  his  home  until  May,  1886,  when 
he  retired  from  active  life,  moved  to  Syca- 
more, and  with  his  ^'ood  wife  is  getting  the 
best  out  of  the  world  in  the  evening  of  life. 
Both  are  hale  and  hearty,  giving  promise  of 
many  more  years  of  useful  life.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  while  residing  in 
Kane  county  served  as  road  master,  school 
director  and  trustee.  Religiously  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  ot  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  As  a  farmer  he  was  pro- 
gressive, thrifty  and  energetic,  and  always 
had  his  farm  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. 


BROWN  &  BROWN,  bankers  of  Genoa, 
Illinois,  are  well  known  throughout  De 
Kalb  and  adjoining  counties,  being  among 
the  live  business  men  of  the  place.  They 
are  sons  of  Jeremiah  Libby  Brown,  who  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  Genoa  township,  a  native  of 
Scarborough,  Maine,  born  April  17,  1805. 
He  was  the  son  of  Benjamin  Brown,  who 
was  probably  a  native  of  Scotland.  Jere- 
miah L.  Brown  married  Ruth  Libby,  and  in 
1837  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
where  later  his  death  occurred. 

Jeremiah  L.  Brown,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state  during  the  winter  terms  until 
the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  then  ran 
away  to  sea  on  a  whaling  vessel,  and  v.'as 
gone  three  years,  during  which  time  he 
never  heard  a  word  from  home.  Soon  after 
his  return,  he  removed  with  his  parents  to 
the  town  of   Hope,  Hamilton  county,    New- 


York,  and  on  the  17th  of  August,  1S30, 
married  Judith  Richardson,  of  Johnstown, 
New  York,  who  died  March  4,  1848.  By 
that  union  seven  children  were  born — Julia 
A.,  James  P.,  Judith,  Esther  E.,  Abigail  J., 
Ruth  S.  and  Jeremiah  W.  Of  these  Julia 
A.  and  Ruth  S.  are  deceased.  The  second 
union  of  Jeremiah  L.  Brown  was  solemnized 
May  2,  1850,  when  he  married  Eliza  A. 
jackman,  born  May  26,  1825,  a  daughter 
of  Abner  and  Mary  Jackman,  of  Sycamore 
township.  By  this  last  union  were  born 
Emma  R.,  Dillon  S.,  Charles  A.  and  Liz- 
zie M. 

By  way  of  the  canal  and  lakes,  Jeremiah 
L.  Brown  came  west  in  1S36,  and  settled 
first  in  Peoria,  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  but 
returned  east  and  in  1837  again  came  west, 
driving  through  by  team  from  New  York, 
coming  direct  to  Genoa  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  reaching  Genoa  at  sunset,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1837.  By  trade  he  was  a  shoemaker, 
which  occupation  he  followed  in  the  east, 
but  on  coming  to  De  Kalb  county  took  up 
land  on  section  30,  Genoa  township,  and 
there  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
became  a  successful  farmer  and  soon  ac- 
quired over  a  section  of  land.  Three  years 
before  his  arrival  white  men  had  hardly  set 
foot  in  De  Kalb  county.  The  country  was 
in  its  native  wildness  and  Indians  roamed  at 
will  over  its  prairies  and  through  the  timber, 
engaged  in  their  regular  hunting  e.xpeditions. 
In  local  affairs  Mr.  Brown  became  quite 
prominent  and  was  kept  in  office  by  his 
neighbors  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  He 
was  a  man  of  superior  education,  and  be- 
cause of  that  fact  his  services  were  in  de- 
mand. For  many  terms  he  served  as  one 
of  the  county  board  of  supervisors.  In 
early  life  he  was  an  Abolitionist,  and  when 
the  Republican  party  was    formed  attached 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


-3/ 


himself  to  it  and  became  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  its  principles  until  his  death,  Janu- 
ary 5,  1S82.  Well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected, his  death  left  a  void  in  the  county. 

Dillon  S.  Brown,  senior  member  of  the 
banking  house  of  Brown  &  Brown,  Genoa, 
was  born  May  12,  1852,  on  the  old  home 
farm  in  Genoa  township,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood.  His  primary  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  schools  of  Genoa  and  Syca- 
more, after  which  he  entered  the  Illinois 
State  University,  at  Champaign,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1875,  in  a  class  of  thirty- 
seven  persons.  He  then  attended  McGill 
Veterinary  College,  at  Montreal,  Canada, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1877. 
After  following  his  profession  in  Sycamore 
some  two  or  three  years,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  H.  H.  Slater,  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  at  Genoa.  After  the 
expiration  of  one  year  he  withdrew  from 
that  firm,  and  forming  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Charles  A.,  began  the  bank- 
ing business  in  Genoa,  in  which  line  he  has 
since  continued  with  gratifying  success. 

Dillon  S.  Brown  was  married  May  16, 
1878,  to  Miss  Emily  E.  Pond,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  daughter  of  Americus  H. 
Pond,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  By  this  union  five  children 
have  been  born,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Claude  in  early  childhood.  The 
living  are  Earl  and  Baird,  pupils  of  the 
Genoa  schools. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
thorough  Republican,  believing  in  protection 
and  reciprocity.  For  some  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  village  board  of  trustees  and 
for  a  time  was  president  of  the  same.  He 
w-as  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
of  Genoa,  giving  of  his  time  to  advance  the 


educational  interests  of  the  place.  At 
present  he  is  a  member  of  the  county  board 
of  supervisors,  an  office  which  he  has  filled 
in  a  most  satisfactorj*  manner. 

Charles  .\.  Brown,  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Brown  &  Brown,  was  born  on  the 
home  farm  in  Genoa  township,  January  12, 
185S.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools  and  in  the  high  schools  at 
Genoa,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
iSSi  after  pursuing  a  four-years  course.  He 
then  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  studied  one 
term  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial 
College,  and  then  returned  home  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  a  few  months  until  the 
banking  firm  of  Brown  &  Brown  was 
formed,  since  which  time  he  has  given 
almost  his  undivided  attention  to  his  bank- 
ing interests. 

Charles  A.  Brown  was  married  in  June, 
1889,  to  Miss  Ada  M.  Olmstead,  a  native 
of  Genoa  township,  and  a  daughter  of  A. 
H.  and  Rebecca  J.  (Eichlerl  Olmstead.  By 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born: 
Loyal,  Gladys  and  Lorine.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  Genoa  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
secretary  and  worshipful  master,  and  which 
he  has  represented  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the 
state.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  The 
only  offices  which  he  has  held  have  been  that 
of  township  treasurer  and  village  trustee. 

While  there  is  much  truth  in  the  stricture 
made  upon  the  modern  scrambler  for  the  al- 
mighty dollar  who  seeks  to  accumulate  vast 
fortunes  by  selfish  and  unscrupulous  means, 
there  is  nothing  more  worthy  of  praise  than 
the  quiet  and  steady  pursuit  of  some  honest 
calling,  which  enables  men  to  acquire  a 
home  and  competence.  The  firm  of  Brown 
&  Brown  is  one  to  whose  energy  and  fore- 
sight the  village  of  Genoa  and  northern  De 


!58 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Kalb  county  is  indebted  for  many  improve- 
ments. While  they  are  prosperous  busi- 
ness men,  and  have  given  close  attention  to 
their  private  affairs,  they  have  never  for- 
gotten or  ignored  that  bond  of  common 
interest  which  should  unite  the  people  of 
every  community,  and  they  have  ever  been 
ready  to  promote  progress  in  e\ery  line. 


WILLIAM  HUBBARD,  after  more  than 
half  a  century  of  honest  toil  on  a 
farm  in  De  Kalb  township,  is  now  living  a 
retired  life  in  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  fllinois. 
He  is  a  native  of  Cortland,  Cortlaml  coun- 
ty, Xew  York,  born  April  21,  1823,  and  is 
the  son  of  Joel  and  Clarinda  Hubbard,  na- 
tives of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  re- 
spectively. Joel  Hubbard  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  and  a  man  of  yome  note  in  his  na- 
tive county.  He  was  born  September  5, 
1788,  and  died  in  Michigan,  March  25, 
1838.  His  wife  was  born  November  14, 
1785,  and  died  in  New  York,  March  28, 
1827.  Their  family  consisted  of  eight  chil- 
dren: Palmira,  born  October  3,  1809; 
Forona,  March  23,  iSii;  Lanson.  June  22, 
181 3;  Henry,  May  18,  1815;  Alfred,  March 
22,  181 7;  Fanny,  May  4,  1820;  William,  as 
above  stated;  and  Ansel,  November  7, 
1825.  Of  these  Fanny  died  February  15, 
1822. 

^^'illiam  Hubbard  is  seventh  in  order  of 
birth,  and  was  only  four  years  of  age  when 
his  mother  died,  and  but  fifteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county  in  1838, 
locating  in  De  Kalb  township,  ^^'ith  an 
elder  brother  he  walked  from  Michigan  to 
De  Kalb,  Illinois,  but  remained  one  sum- 
mer at  Sugar  Grove,  Illinois.  His  edu- 
cation, begun  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
east,  was   completed  in  the  district  schools 


of  De  Kalb  county,  which  he  attended  for 
two  years  after  his  arrival.  Soon  after 
leaving  school  he  made  a  purchase  of  nine- 
ty acres  of  land  from  the  government 
which  he  reclaimed  and  beautified,  making 
of  it  one  of  the  most  productive  farms  in 
De  Ivalb  township.  This  land  he  retained 
for  about  fifty-five  years,  the  best,  hap- 
piest and  most  profitable  days  of  his  life. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1850,  he  married 
Miss  Nancy  Churchill,  daughter  of  David 
and  Anna  Churchill,  by  whom  he  has  had 
three  children,  two  yet  living:  Joel  W. ,  born 
March  9,  i85i;and  Elma  A.,  October  28, 
1852.  Edgar,  born  June  14,  1854,  died 
June  9,  1880.  Mrs.  Hubbard  was  born  in 
Geneseo  county,  New  York,  January  25, 
1824.  Her  parents,  David  and  Anna 
Churchill,  were  natives  of  Vermont,  the 
former  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years  and  the  latter  when  fortj-four  years 
old. 

In  1897,  Mr.  Hubbard  sold  his  farm  and 
removed  to  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  that  he 
might  spend  his  remaining  days  in  ease  and 
comfort.  He  is  worthy  of  the  rest,  and  no 
man  stands  higher  in  the  estimation  of  his 
fellow  citizens. 


FORREST  REEVES  HAMMOND  is  a 
well-known  farmer  residing  in  Sj'camore, 
Illinois.  The  Hammond  familj-  is  one  of  the 
oldest  of  colonial  families  and  took  part  in 
the  stirring  times  during  the  early  settlement 
remote  from  the  coast.  Our  subject  is  de- 
scended from  one  of  three  brothers  from 
England,  who  settled  on  what  was  known 
as  Canaan  Mountain,  Pennsylvania.  Some 
of  the  famil)'  settled  in  Tioga  county  and 
others  in  Chemung  county.  New  York.  Dur- 
ing the  Indian  wars  prior  to  the  Revolution 


thf:  biographical  record. 


the  Hammonds  were  great  sufferers.  Sev- 
eral of  tfiem  were  taken  prisoners  at  the 
time  of  the  \\'yoming  massacre.  One  of 
them,  Laban  Hammond,  a  great  uncle  of 
our  subject,  with  fourteen  others,  was  placed 
in  a  circle  to  be  e.xecuted  by  an  Indian  queen. 
After  the  first  one  was  tomahawked  the  un- 
cle sprang  up,  beat  his  way  through  the 
crowd  and  escaped,  while  the  others  were 
all  killed.  In  March  of  the  following  year 
with  two  others  he  was  again  captured. 
While  an  old  Indian  who  was  guarding  the 
prisoners  was  replenishing  the  fire  Laban 
killed  five  of  his  captors  and  then  struck 
another  across  the  neck  while  on  his  knees, 
leaving  him,  as  he  supposed,  dead.  He 
made  good  his  escape  the  second  time. 
Years  afterwards,  seeing  an  Indian  with  a 
stiff  neck  and  head  bent  down,  he  asked  him 
how  it  happened  and  the  laconic  reply  re- 
ceived was:  "Yankee,  Wyoming."  He 
thought  best  not  to  inform  the  Indian  that 
he  was  the  Yankee. 

Our  subject's  great-grandparents.  Oliver 
and  Mary  Hammond,  were  born  near  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  former 
December  25,  1759,  and  the  latter  .May  4, 
I  76 1.  The  first  named  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-five,  while  the  latter  attained  the  good 
old  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  They  were 
pioneers  in  the  wilds  of  Pennsylvania,  suf- 
ferred  terrors  from  Indian  depredations  on 
the  frontier  and  passed  through  the  stirring 
scenes  of  the  Revolution. 

Lebbeus  Hammond,  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  December  6,  1786, 
married  C  ynthia  P.  .Matthewson,  who  was 
born  July  23,  1786.  .An  interesting  anecdote 
is  related  of  her  courage,  as  part  of  the 
family  traditions.  When  she  was  on!\ 
eleven  years  of  age  a  man  near  her  father's 
house  cut    his    leg    with  an   adze  and    was 

13 


bleeding  to  death.  There  was  a  surgeon 
across  the  river,  the  bridge  was  washed  away 
and  the  river  was  higher  than  it  was  ever 
known.  No  man  would  volunteer  to  go  for 
the  doctor.  Her  father  said  that  he  knew 
Cynthia  would  do  it  and  asked  her  if  she 
would  undertake  to  cross  the  river.  She 
replied  that  she  would  if  he  would  let  her 
ride  "  Pomp,"  her  favorite  horse.  Permis- 
sion was  granted  and  her  father  cautioned 
her  in  returning  to  ride  up  stream  to  a  cer- 
tain point,  where  she  would  find  a  safe  land- 
ing on  the  west  bank.  On  reaching  the 
doctor's  and  stating  her  errand  he  refused 
to  cross  the  river  wilh  her,  remarking,  "Let 
the  man  die;  I  will  not  cross  in  such  a 
flood."  She  ridiculed  him,  asking  him  if  he 
could  not  do  what  she  had  done.  He  final!}- 
consented  to  go  and  started  into  the  stream 
near  by.  She  told  him  her  father's  direc- 
tions, rode  in  front,  the  doctor  follow- 
ing, and  both  safely  landed.  The  doctor 
arrived  in  time  to  save  the  man's  life. 
When  asked  if  she  was  not  afraid,  she  re- 
plied that  she  was  not,  as  she  knew  that 
Pomp  could  stay  on  top  of  the  water  and 
she  could  stay  on  top  of  him. 

Our  subject's  father,  also  named  Lebbeus 
Hanmiond,  was  born  June  8,  1830,  at 
Palmyra,  Wayne  county.  New  York,  and 
came  west  in  the  spring  of  1854,  and  died 
April  25,  1855.  He  married  Mary  Reeves, 
who  died  about  1867  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
four  years,  leaving  two  children,  Cynthia 
Philuria  and  Forrest  Reeves. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Sycamore  townshp  a  few  weeks  after  the 
arrival  of  the  family.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  and 
having  remarried  after  the  death  of  her  first 
husband,  he  lived  with  his  stepfather  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in    the  district   school, 


26o 


THE   BIOCxRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


supplemented  by  one  year  in  the  schools  of 
Sycamore.  At  the  a.ge  of  twenty-one  he 
came  into  possession  of  his  father's  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  and  a  half  acres, 
on  sections  i6,  2t  and  22,  to  which  he  later 
added  twenty-eight  and  a  half  acres,  makinjj 
him  a  tine  tract  of  one  hundred  and  (ifty-one 
acres.  For  some  years  he  has  heen  en- 
fjaged  in  dairy  farming,  usually  keeping 
about  forty  head  of  milch  rows.  In  Decem- 
ber. 1890,  he  removed  to  Sycamore  but 
still  gives  his  personal  attention  to  the  farm. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  1879,  Mr.  Ham- 
mond was  united  in  marriage  at  Sycamore, 
with  Miss  S.  Frances  Hamilton,  who  was 
born  in  De  I\alb  township  between  the 
cities  of  Sycamore  and  De  Kalb,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Oscar  and  Catilina  (Johnson) 
Hamilton.  By  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born:  Elmer  D.,  Lloyd  I.  and 
Harry  H. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hamtnond  is  a  Republic- 
an, and  while  residing  in  the  country  served 
as  school  director.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Sycamore  Lodge,  Order  of  For- 
esters. 


CHARLES  H.  MORDOFF,  M.  D.,  of 
Genoa.  Illinois,  is  a  well  known  and 
successful  physician  and  surgeon  who  has 
been  in  active  practice  in  that  village  for 
about  seventeen  years.  He  traces  his  an- 
aestry  back  to  James  Mordoff,  Sr. ,  a  native 
of  Scotland,  who  came  to  America  prior  to 
the  Revolutionarj'  war,  and  settled  in  King- 
ston, Canada,  where  he  died  June  17,  1789. 
His  wife  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  seven- 
teen years  old.  Their  son,  also  named 
James,  born  in  Kingston,  Canada,  Ma\"  12, 
1762,  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years, 
eight    months    and     twenty     days.      About 


1790  he  moved  from  Canada  to  New  York, 
where  his  last  days  were  spent.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  education,  and  it  was  said  of 
him  that  he  was  "neither  priest  nor  law- 
yer, but  a  learned  man.  "  He  married 
Lois  Charters,  who  was  born  December  17, 
1790,  and  who  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
seven  years,  in  western  \ew  York.  Their 
son,  James  Mordoff,  jr.,  one  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, was  born  in  W'w  ^'ork,  .Xpril  J  4, 
179;.  He  m;irried  Polly  Dunn,  and  came 
west  in  May,  i''^4  5i  locating  in  Boone 
county,   Illinois. 

George  J.  Mordoft.  the  son  of  James 
MordoiT,  Jr.,  was  fifth  in  a  family  of  six 
children.  He  was  born  in  Portage,  \\'yom- 
ing  county.  New  \'()rk,  March  26,  i8;?i,  and 
came  west  with  his  parents  in  1845,  com- 
ing overland  by  wagons.  It  was  a  long, 
weary  trip,  and  all  were  well  pleased  on 
their  arrival  in  Boone  county.  With  his 
parents  he  continued  to  reside  until  after  he 
attained  his  majority.  He  was  married  in 
Belvidere,  Illinois,  May  2,  1854,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Whitman,  a  native  of  Chautauqua 
county.  New  York,  born  in  September, 
1832.  Her  father,  Charles  Whitman,  was 
born  in  Bennington,  Vermont,  January  4, 
1800.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  went 
to  New  York,  where,  in  1824,  at  Fort  Miller, 
he  married  Mary  Ann  Jakeway,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Jakeway.  In  1836,  they  came 
west  and  located  in  Boone  county,  Illinois. 
George  J.  Mordoff  continued,  to  reside  in 
Boone  county  until  1884,  when  he  removed 
to  Genoa,  to  make  his  home  with  our  sub- 
ject. He  was  a  well-known  veterinary  sur- 
geon, and  for  many  years  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Boone  and  De  Kalb  counties. 

Charles  H.  Mordoft  is  the  only  child 
born  to  George  J.  and  Sarah  (Whitman) 
Mordoff.      He    was     born     near    Belvidere, 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


261 


Boone  county,  Illinois.  July  22.  1856. 
After  attending  the  district  school  he  entered 
the  high  school  at  Belvidere.  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1873.  He 
early  showed  a  decided  taste  for  the  medical 
profession  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  in 
an  irregular  way,  he  began  reading  medi- 
cine. .After  his  graduation  from  the  high 
school  for  two  years  he  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  F.  S.  Whitman,  of  Belvidere,  and 
later  entered  the  Chicago  Homeopathic 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1881.  On  the  31st  of  January, 
1882,  he  located  in  Genoa,  where  he  has 
since  remained,  having  built  up  a  large 
practice  which  extends  for  many  miles 
around.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and 
fraternally  a  member  of  Genoa  Lodge.  No. 
768.  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Ellwood  Encampment. 
No.  173,  of  Sycamore:  Canton  Truman.  No. 
2.  of  S\camore;  and  Sarah  Rebecca,  No. 
134,  of  Sycamore;  Maple  Leaf  Lodge,  No. 
283,  K.  of  P.,  of  Genoa:  Genoa  Camp 
No.  163,  M.  \V.  A.:  Royal  Neighbors,  of 
Genoa;  and  of  the  Oriental  Order  of  the 
Magi,  of  Chicago.  Formerly  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe.  Profes- 
sionally he  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Home- 
pathic  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Institute  of  Homeopathy.  As  a  citizen  he 
stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  people. 


JOHN  MILLER,  who  is  now  living  a  re- 
tired life  in  the  village  of  F"airdale,  is  a 
native  of  Oneida  county.  New  York,  born 
February  9.  18 18,  .and  is  the  son  of  John 
and  .Mary  (Crill)  Miller,  both  natives  of  Her- 
kimer county.  New  York.  They  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  as  follows: 
Thomas,  Mary,  Catherine,  John,  Daniel. 
Margaret,  Elizabeth,  James.  Henry,  Nancy, 


Julia  .\.  and  Chester  .A.  The  paternal 
grandfather.  John  Miller,  who  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  came  to  America  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  a  soldier 
in  that  war.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Thomas  Crill,  was  also  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  America  before  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  and  assisted  in  the  struggle  for  in- 
dependence. 

In  his  native  county  and  state  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood,  and 
received  a  limited  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  early  day.  In  1844  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, located  in  Ogle  county,  where  he  first 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  government  land, 
to  which  he  later  added  another  eighty  acres. 
That  tract  he  improved  until  it  was  one  of 
the  best  in  Ogle  county.  On  the  i8th  of 
November,  1847,  he  married  Mary  E.  War- 
ren, a  native  of  Delaware,  and  they  com- 
menced their  domestic  life  on  the  farm 
which  he  had  purchased  some  three  years 
previously.  They  there  continued  to  reside, 
a  period  of  fortv-two  years,  when  Mrs.  Mil- 
ler was  called  to  her  reward,  her  death  oc- 
curring June  9,  18.S9,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years. 

-After  the  death  of  his  wife.  Mr.  Miller 
sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  Fairdale,  where 
he  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church,  of  which  body 
his  wife  was  also  a  member.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  while  in  Ogle  county 
held  the  office  of  road  commissioner  and 
school  director. 

Elizabeth  McBride,  the  sister  of  .Mr. 
Miller,  who  is  now  acting  as  his  housekeeper, 
was  also  born  in  Oneida  county.  New  York, 
.April  25,  1824.  In  1S46  she  came  with  her 
parents  to  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  and  in  1851 
married  James  McBride.  a  native  of  New 
York  state.  b\  whr>m  she  had  seven  children 


262 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


five  of  whom  are  living,  George,  Elizabeth, 
Alice,  Grant  and  Cora.  The  deceased  are 
Leona  and  Lucy  F.  Her  husband  died  in 
Iowa  in   1874,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 


MD.  SHIPMAN,  of  the  firm  of  Bradt  & 
Shipman,  of  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  is  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  that  city. 
He  is  a  native  of  Cortland  county,  New 
York,  and  was  born  on  the  nth  <if  June, 
184S.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  j.  .\.  and  A/.ii- 
bah  (Hunter)  Shipman,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  New  York  state. 

Dr.  J.  A.  Shipman  was  a  skilled  physi- 
cian and  a  man  whose  influence  for  good 
was  felt  not  only  within  the  large  circle  of 
his  own  patronage,  but  all  through  his  ac- 
quaintances far  and  near.  In  1853  he  re- 
moved to  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
successfully  practiced  his  profession.  In 
1868  he  moved  to  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  from 
which  place  he  removed  in  1873,  to  Henry 
county,  from  Henry  county  to  Prairie  City, 
Illinois.  Here  he  resided  for  the  remainder 
of  his  days,  respected  as  a  citizen,  trusted 
as  a  physician,  and  honored  as  a  gentleman 
of  the  highest  order.  Dr.  Shipman  passed 
to  his  reward  March  6,  1885,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years,  while  his  wife's  demise 
had  occurred  many  years  before  when  they 
were  residents  of  De  Kalb.  She  was  fifty- 
two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
Their  family  consisted  of  five  children,  two 
of  whom  are  now  living,  Mrs.  Mattie  Mack- 
lin  of  this  city,  and  M.  D.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

M.  D.  Shipman  is  second  in  order  of 
birth.  He  received  his  early  schooling  in 
the  district  schools  of  Bureau  county  and 
high  school  of  De  Kalb,  and  subsequently 
attended    the    Northwestern    Universitv    at 


Evanston.  Illinois.  At  the  conclusion  of  his 
school  days  in  1872,  he  became  associated 
with  C.  E.  Bradt  in  the  minufactiire  and 
sale  of  gloves  at  wholesale.  Their  factory  is 
on  Si.xtli  near  Main  street,  De  Kalb.  The 
same  firm  is  also  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  delivery  wagons  and  patent 
glove  fasteners,  at  Gloversville,  New  York, 
under  the  liriii  name  of  Shipman,  Bradt  & 
Co..  which  business  has  grown  to  a  great 
e.\tent.  Mr.  Shipman  has  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  the  citi/;ens  of  De  Kalb.  He  has 
been  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  board 
of  education,  and  is  president  of  the  Elec- 
tric Light  Company  of  De  Kalb.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  wiiich  he  is  a  worthv  trustee. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1SS2,  Mr. 
Shipman  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Jennie  B.  Bradt,  daughter  of  .\.  and  Amy 
A.  Bradt,  a  sketch  of  wiioui  appears  else- 
where in  this  work.  To  this  union  has  been 
born  three  children:  .Andrew,  born  in  1883: 
Louise,  in  i  885 ;  and  Orville,  in  1888.  Mr. 
Shipman  has  descended  from  a  noble  line 
of  ancestors,  whose  skill,  lojalty  and  patri- 
otism has  been  handed  down  to  posterity  by 
the  pen  of  the  historian.  His  grandfather, 
Daniel  Shipman, -was  the  father  of  five  phy- 
sicians of  wide  influence  and  practice  in  New 
York  and  Illinois.  Daniel  Shipman  was  an 
early  settler  of  Saybrook,  and  was  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  of  the  old  school.  He  was 
especially  distinguished  for  bis  industry  and 
strict  integrity.  His  wife,  the  grandmother 
of  our  subject,  was  Sarah  Eastman,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Azariah  Eastman,  an  eminent 
physician  of  his  day,  and  who  creditably 
bore  the  armor  of  his  profession  for  nearl}' 
seventy  years.  Dr.  Eastman  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  the  Franklins,  and  a  relation 
of  the  illustrious  statesman  and  philosopher. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


263 


Three  of  Uaniel  Shipman's  brothers  and 
granduncles  of  our  subject,  were  actively 
engaged  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  at 
one  time  were  taken  prisoners  by  the 
British  and  held  as  such  in  a  prison  ship 
at  Brooklyn,  New  York.  They  were  early 
settlers  in  Connecticut,  and  were  of  Eng- 
lish descent.  The  Hunters  on  the  mother's 
side  were  of  Scotch  extraction,  a  people 
noted  for  their  nobleness  of  character. 


A  CHARLES  DOAXE,  marble  dealer  of 
Sycamore,  is  a  native  of  De  Kalb 
county,  born  in  South  Grove  township, 
August  2,  i<S55,  and  resided  in  that  town- 
ship until  the  age  of  twelve  years,  when  he 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Malta.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education, 
with  instruction  in  some  of  the  higher 
branches,  and  for  some  years  taught  school 
during  the  winter  months  and  worked  at  his 
trade  of  carpenter  during  the  summer.  He 
is  the  son  of  Joseph  E.  and  Margaret  (Mur- 
phy) Doane,  the  former  a  native  of  St. 
Lawrence  county.  New  York,  born  Decem- 
ber 18,  1835,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  America  with  her  parents 
at  the  age  of  two  years.  Joseph  E.  Doane 
came  west  in  1854,  and  settled  in  South 
Grove  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois. 
He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter  and  an  e.xcel- 
lent  and  energetic  workman,  always  com- 
manding higher  wages  than  others.  On 
coming  to  De  Kalb  county  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  South  Grove  township,  and  later 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  and  v.  half  acres  adjoin- 
ing the  village  of  Malta.  To  Joseph  E. 
Doane  and  wife  seven  children  were  born; 
Virginia  L. ,  now  the  wife  of  Rev.  Cass 
Davis,  of  Sterling,  Illinois;   A.  Charles,  our 


subject;  Leslie  A.,  who  is  farming  in  Wis- 
consin; William  D.,  who  is  mining  in  Col- 
orado; Dorothy  M.,  a  fine  vocalist,  who  re- 
sides at  home;  Seymour  G.,  who  is  rail- 
roading in  Wyoming;  and  Agnes  K..  wife  of 
\V    I,  Collins,  of  Malta. 

In  the  spring  of  1879,  our  subject  went 
to  Colorado,  and  located  eighteen  miles 
north  of  Leadville,  where  he  remained  three 
and  a  half  years,  prospecting  and  mining. 
This  not  proving  profitable,  he  returned  to 
Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1882,  and  taught  school 
during  the  winter  of  1882-83.  In  the  spring 
of  1883  he  went  to  Dakota,  but  not  being 
satisfied,  he  returned  to  Malta,  where  he 
worked  at  carpentering  and  farming  for  five 
years.  From  Malta  he  went  to  Chicago, 
where  he  worked  five  months  in  a  factor}', 
then  for  four  years  at  his  trade.  In  .\ugust, 
1896,  he  came  to  Sycamore  and  engaged 
in  the  marble  business.  He  knew  nothing 
whatever  of  that  line  of  trade,  but  soon  ad- 
justed himself  to  it,  and  has  now  a  thorough 
understanding  of  the  business.  With  char- 
acteristic energy  he  soon  built  up  a  large 
trade,  which  is  constantly  increasing.  His 
greatest  endeavor  has  been  to  make  his 
reputation  for  reliable  work  and  material, 
and  a  name  equal  to  that  of  his  father  for 
probity  and  honesty. 

Mr.  Doane  has  been  twice  married, — 
first  in  1886,  with  Miss  Jennie  Earl,  who 
died  within  a  year  after  their  marriage. 
His  second  union  was  with  Miss  Jeannette 
Morey,  the  wedding  ceremony  being  cele- 
brated in  Malta  township  in  1888.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Ariel  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Van 
Vlack)  Morey.  The  former  is  a  native  of 
Herkimer  county,  New  York,  born  May  24, 
1840,  and  who  came  west  when  a  boy  with 
his  parents,  Smith  and  Jeannette  (Smith) 
Morey.      Smith  Morey  was  the  son  of  Jesse 


264 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


More\'.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Morey  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Maria  (Oliver^  \'an 
\'lack.  .\riel  Morey  aiui  wife  are  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Doane 
is  second  in  order  of  birth.  .Mr.  and  Mr.s. 
Doane  have  two  sons,  Harry  and  Milo,  now 
attending  the  home  school. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Doane  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  the  work  of 
which  they  are  actively  engaged.  Frater- 
nally he  IS  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men ut  America  and  Home  Forum,  while 
Mrs.  Doane  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  Globe  and  Home  Forum.  Mr. 
Doane  comes  of  a  musical  family,  and  is 
himself  a  musician  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability.  For  four  years  he  was  the  leader 
of  the  Malta  band,  and  under  his  leadership 
the  band  had  an  excellent  reputation 
throughout  northern  Illinois. 


RICHARD  B.  PROCTOR,  an  enterpris- 
ing farmer  of  Franklin  township,  is  a 
native  of  Kno.\  county,  Ohio,  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas 
and  Eliza  (Norton)  Proctor,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  Elizabeth,  Mary  A..  Richard  B. 
and  Watie  Jane,  all  of  whom  are  deceased 
save  our  subject.  The  paternal  grandfa- 
ther, Richard  Proctor,  was  a  native  of 
England  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  In  an  early 
day  Thomas  Proctor,  the  father,  removed 
from  his  Pennsylvania  home  to  Knox  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  and  there  engaged  in  farming.  He. 
however,  lived  but  a  short  time  after  his 
arrival,  and  died  November  11,  i82y,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five  years.  His  widow 
later  married  Dr.  .Andrew  Shephard,  a  native 


of  New  York,  and  in  1836  they  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  in  Ogle  counts'.  Three 
\ears  later  they  removed  to  De  Kalb  county, 
and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  government  land,  the  farm  on  which  our 
subject  now  resides.  Both  the  Doctor  and 
his  wife  died  upon  that  farm. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  Illi- 
nois with  his  mother  and  stepfather,  and 
with  them  continued  to  reside.  He  was 
reared  upon  the  farm  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  district  school.  On 
the  iJth  of  March.  1856,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  C.  Lyon,  and  by 
this  union  there  are  twelve  children,  three 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  living  are 
Lizzie,  Willis.  .\da,  Arthur,  Clara,  Ernest, 
Clark,  Ralph  and  Glenn.  Of  these,  Ada 
married  Rev.  Dr.  John  Butcher,  a  native  of 
England,  and  with  him  spent  ten  years  in 
India,  where  he  was  engaged  in  missionary 
work.  The  Doctor  is  a  highly  educated 
man,  a  fine  worker,  and  is  now  located  at 
Palatine,  Illinois.  Clark  is  a  ph\sician  lo- 
cated in  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  \\'illis  is  a 
professor  in  the  college  at  Kirksville,  Mis- 
souri. Clara  is  also  a  physician,  and  is  a 
graduate  of  the  .Albion,  Michigan,  College; 
is  now  at  Kirks\ille,  Missouri.  Ralph  is  on 
the  home  farm,  while  Glenn  is  attending 
school. 

The  maternal  grandfather,  Isaac  Nor- 
ton, Jr.,  was  a  native  of  Long  Island,  New 
Y'ork,  and  was  a  tailor  by  trade.  His  fa- 
ther. Rev.  Isaac  Norton,  Sr. ,  was  a  native 
of  England,  who  came  to  America  before 
the  Revolution,  and  during  that  struggle 
was  a  chaplain  in  the  army.  He  was  also 
chaplain  in  the  halls  of  congress  at  Phila- 
delphia. Religiously  he  was  a  Baptist. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
two    vears.      Rev.    Isaac    Norton,    Jr.,    was 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECGRL\ 


26; 


also  a  Baptist  minister,  and  died  at  Byron, 
Illinois,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
Two  uncles  of  our  subject,  Isaac  and  Bart- 
lett  Norton,  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Few  families  have  a  better  record 
for  patriotism  than  that  of  the  Nortons. 

In  politics  Mr.  Proctor  is  a  Prohibition- 
ist, believing  firmly  in  the  principles  of  that 
party.  For  thirteen  years  he  served  as 
school  trustee.  A  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  he  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  work,  giving  of  his  time  and  means  to 
advance  the  cause  of  religion  and  morality. 
He  has  been  a  very  successful  farmer,  and 
has  now  four  hundred  and  seventeen  acres 
of  well  improved  land.  Xo  man  in  Frank- 
lin township  is  held  in  higher  esteem. 


GEORGE  E.  SISLEY,  postmaster  of 
Genoa  and  editor  of  the  Genoa  Issue. 
was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  April  3,  1865. 
and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Anna  (Ly- 
man) Sisley,  both  natives  of  New  York, 
and  who  were  the  parents  of  four  children 
as  follows:  William  L. ,  a  merchant  of 
Hampshire,  Illinois;  Lyman  .\.,  a  mining 
broker,  in  Butte,  Montana;  Emma  L., 
wife  of  Charles  H.  Backus,  of  Hampshire, 
Illinois;  and  George  E.,  our  subject.  The 
mother  died  in  Hampshire  about  1887. 

George  E.  Sisley  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Geneva,  when  quite  young,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  that  city. 
Entering  the  office  of  the  Geneva  Republican 
he  spent  four  years  in  learning  the  printer's 
trade.  He  then  went  to  Elgin,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  working  at 
his  trade,  and  from  there  went  to  Hamp- 
shire. Illinois,  and  started  the  Hampshire 
Register,  with  which  he  was  connected  until 


1 890.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Port  Town- 
send.  Washington,  where  he  remained  a 
year  and  a  half.  Returning  east,  he  was 
employed  at  his  trade  in  Chicago  during 
the  World's  Fair.  In  March,  1894,  he 
came  to  Genoa  and  purchased  the  Genoa 
Issue,  of  which  he  has  since  been  editor 
and  publisher. 

Mr.  Sisley  was  married  June  25,  1891, 
at  Hampshire,  Illinois,  with  Miss  Gertrude 
Schoonmaker,  daughter  of  Michael  J.  and 
Florence  (^Webb)  Schoonmaker,  the  former 
a  naiive  of  Fairdale,  Oswego  county.  New 
York,  born  October  24,  1836,  and  who  died 
May  5.  1897.  He  was  the  son  of  Michael 
and  Kate  (Van  Alstine)  Schoonmaker,  and 
came  west  about  1856,  locating  first  at 
Marengo,  Illinois.  In  his  youth  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  which  occupation  he 
followed  until  his  death.  He  lived  a  few 
years  in  various  towns  in  Iowa  and  Illinois, 
removing  to  Hampshire,  Illinois,  in  1874, 
where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  K.  Fifteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry.  He  was  married  July  4, 
1866.  in  Marengo.  Illinois,  to  Miss  Flor- 
ence W'ebb,  born  in  Forrest.  New  York, 
and  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Catherine 
(Mead)  Webb,  ihe  latter  a  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Phebe  (Ashle\)  Mead.  By  trade 
Frederick  Webb  was  a  carpenter,  and  came 
west  and  settled  in  Marengo,  Illinois,  where 
his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  He  was  a  son  of  Bliss  and 
Flora  Webb.  Of  the  eight  children  born 
to  Michael  J.  and  Florence  Schoonmaker, 
Mrs.  Sisley  is  second  in  order  of  birth. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sisley  one  son  has  been 
born,  George  Raymond. 

Mr.  Sislev  is  very  fond  of  athletic 
sports,    and    he    is    an    enthusiastic  wheel- 


266 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


man.  Fraternally  lie  is  ;i  member  of  Cie- 
iKja  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Syca- 
more Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  He  is  also  a 
in('mber  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  thoroughly  ali\e  to  the 
best  interests  of  his  adopted  citj'  and  conn- 
ty,  and  through  the  columns  of  his  paper 
advocates  every  measure  for  the  public 
good.  In  politics  he  is  a  thorough  Repub- 
lican and  as  a  reward  for  sers'ices  ren- 
dered his  party,  was  appointed  postmaster 
of  Genoa  in  November,  1897.  He  was 
also  city  treasurer  in  1896. 


HARRISON  MACKEV,  for  many  years 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Mayfield 
township,  residing  on  section  11,  where  he 
had  a  fine  farm  of  over  five  hundred  acres 
of  land,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in 
Ulster  county,  April  22,  1813,  and  was  the 
son  of  Levi  and  Rebecca  (Scott)  Mackey, 
also  natives  of  New  York,  who  there  spent 
their  entire  lives.  The  Mackeys  are  of 
German  ancestry,  the  Hrst  of  the  name  set- 
tling in  New  York  at  a  very  earl)'  day.  Levi 
and  Rebecca  Mackey  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children — John,  Julia  A.,  Griffin,  Gil- 
man,  Harriet,  Harrison,  Thorn  M.  and 
Mary  J.  The  father  died  about  1858  and 
the  mother  in  June,   1838. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  at 
home  until  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  Orange  county,  New  York,  for 
the  purpose  of  learning  the  blacksmith's 
trade.  After  serving  an  apprenticeship  of 
about  four  years,  he  went  to  New  Jersey 
and  worked  as  a  journeyman  about  one 
year,  and  then  spent  several  months  in  his 
native  county,  returning  to  Orange  county, 
where  he  coninienced    business   for  himself 


at  his  trade  and  continued  for  six  years. 
The  great  west  was  now  being  rapidly  set- 
tled, and,  like  manj'  others,  he  determined 
to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  Prairie  state.  In 
the  spring  of  1839  he  came  to  Mayfield 
township  and  located  upon  section  i  i,  where 
he  opened  up  a  farm  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  lift". 

Mr.  Mackey  was  first  married  in  Orange 
county.  New  York,  about  1834,  to  Miss 
Mary  Hall,  a  native  of  Sullivan  county.  New 
York,  and  by  this  union  there  were  three 
children:  Julia  A.  was  the  wife  of  J.  O. 
Westlake.  She  died  April  8,  1869.  Mary 
R.  married  H.  H.  Coleman,  and  they  reside 
in  Sycamore.  Eliza  J.  married  J.  E.  Parker, 
and  they  also  live  in  Sycamore.  Mrs.  Mackey 
died  in  Mayfield  township  January  22,  1856, 
and  Mr.  Mackey  was  again  married  in  New 
York  state,  June  18,  1857,  to  Mrs.  Eliza 
(Bond)  Westlake,  widow  of  Benjamin  West- 
lake,  who  died  in  Orange  county,  New  \'ork, 
November  18,  1853.  By  her  former  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren— David  B.,  Milton  G.,  Hannah  E., 
Mary  A. ,  Charlotte  W. ,  John  O.  and  Morris 
H.  Milton  G.  died  when  nearly  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  Mrs.  Mackey  was  born  in 
Orange  count}'.  New  York,  December  i , 
181  1,  and  died  in  Mayfield  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  July  8,  1888,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Sycamore.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  her  husband  was  an  at- 
tendant. 

In  addition  to  general  farming,  in  which 
he  was  quite  successful,  Mr.  Mackey  en- 
gaged in  dairying  for  a  time  and  also  in 
stock  raising.  He  became  quite  prominent 
in  the  affairs  of  the  township  and  held  many 
local  offices.  Politically,  he  was  thoroughly 
independent,  voting   for  the  one  he  consid- 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

UN!yER;:!fy  of  iifiNois 


HARRISON   MACKEY. 


MRS.   MARY  HALL   MACKEY. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF   ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ered  the  best  man.  regardless  of  part\.  A 
pioneer  of  the  countj',  he  was  instrumental 
in  its  growth  and  development  and  did  all 
that  he  could  to  advance  its  material  inter- 
est. As  a  citizen  he  was  thoroughly  pro- 
gressive, and  as  a  neighbor  he  was  kind  and 
obliging,  ever  ready  to  render  a  favor.  His 
death  occurred  upon  the  old  home  farm 
.August  22,  1890,  and  his  remains  were  laid 
to  rest  in  the  old  family  gravesard  in  Ma\- 
field  township. 


CHARLES  E.  BRADT.  a  well  known 
business  man  of  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  and 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bradt  &  Shipman. 
glove  manufacturers,  has  spent  almost  his 
entire  life  in  De  Kalb  county.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Gloversville.  P^ulton  county.  \ew 
York,  born  January  27.  1852,  and  is  the 
son  of  Andrew  and  .Amy  A.  (Sweet)  Bradt, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  town  of 
Ephratah,  Fulton  count}'.  New  York,  the 
former  May  15,  1824,  and  the  latter  |anu- 
ary  20,  1828.  They  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  deceased. 
The  living  are  Charles  E.,  fennie  S., 
Samuel  E.    and  Laura  Luella. 

Andrew  Bradt  is  the_  son  of  Anthony  J. 
and  Hannah  (Peek)  Bradt.  both  natives  of 
the  state  of  New  York.  He  was  reared  on 
a  farm,  educated  in  the  district  schools  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  commenced  teaching 
in  his  native  township,  a  profession  he  fol- 
lowed for  several  winters  while  during  the 
summer  seasons  he  worked  upon  the  farm. 
His  marriage  with  Miss  .\my  Ann  Sweet  was 
celebrated  January  31,  1S48.  Eight  years 
later  he  came  west  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land  in  sections  23 
and    24,    De  Kalb  tuwnship,  where    he  en- 


gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  For  several 
winters  he  engaged  in  selling  gloves  and 
mittens  to  dealers  in  northern  Illinois,  pur- 
chasing his  stock  from  the  manufactories  at 
Gloversville  and  Johnston.  New  York.  In 
1870.  in  company  with  his  son,  he  started  a 
glove  factory  in  De  Kalb  but  two  years  later 
disposed  of  his  interest.  He  was  the  first  man 
to  introduce  glove  making  northwest  of  Chi- 
cago and  the  first  to  sell  them  in  the  same 
territory.  .A  local  preacher  in  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  he  has  been  instru- 
mental in  building  it  up  in  De  Kalb.  He  is 
a  man  of  sterling  worth,  well  known  and 
highly  honored   by  all. 

Charles  E.  Bradt,  our  subject,  grew  to 
manhood  in  De  Kalb  county,  and  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  district  schools. 
He  later  attended  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, at  Evanston,  Illinois,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  school  life,  .\fter  leaving  school 
he  succeeded  his  father  in  business,  and  in 
1872  formed  a  co-partnership  with  M.  D. 
Shipman,  which  relation  still  continues. 
For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  centurj'  they 
have  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
gloves  and  have  a  extensive  business 
throughout  the  Northwest,  employing  at 
certain  seasons  several  traveling  salesmen. 
With  Mr.  Shipman.  he  is  also  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  delivery  wagons,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Shipman  &  Bradt.  This 
business  has  grown  to  quite  e.xtensive  pro- 
portions and  has  been  fairly  profitable  in 
their  hands. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1885,  Mr. 
Bradt  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Alice  K.  Hopkins,  a  native  of  De  Kalb 
county  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  and 
Julia  A.  fHawken)  Hopkins,  the  former  a 
native  of  Washington  county.  New  "\'ork, 
and  the  latter  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri.      Her 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


father  was  for  many  years  a  well  known 
attorney  in  De  Kalb,  but  is  now  deceased. 
Mr.  Bradt  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  De  Kalb,  and  is  one  of 
the  official  board.  He  is  quite  acti\e  in 
church  work,  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
Christian  religion.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason, 
a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  at  De  Kalb, 
of  the  Knight  Templars  at  Sycamore,  and  the 
Mystic  Shrine  at  Chicago.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  been  a  member  of 
the  city  council,  taking  an  acti\e  interest  in 
its  proceedings,  and  working  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  city  which  has  so  long  been 
his  home.  He  has  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board,  taking  great  inter- 
est in  educational  affairs.  As  a  citizen  he 
is  thoroughly  progressive,  ready  at  all  times 
to  do  his  full  shart^  in  iidvancing  the  mater- 
ial interests  of  his  city  and  county. 


CHARLES  C.  POND,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business  at  Sycamore, 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  early  colonial 
days.  The  first  known  of  the  family  in 
.America  was  Samuel  Pond,  ol  Windsor, Con- 
necticut. His  son.  Samuel,  the  earliest  an- 
cestor of  our  subject  positively  known,  is 
supposed  from  a  number  of  corroborating 
circumstances  to  be  the  second  of  his  chil- 
dren. The  latter  had  a  son  born  in  1679, 
whom  he  also  named  Samuel.  The  ne.xt  in 
line  was  Philip,  born  in  1706,  whose  son, 
Daniel,  born  in  1726,  was  known  as  the  pa- 
triarch because  of  his  large  family  of  seven- 
teen children,  the  greater  number  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity.  He  moved  with  his  en- 
tire family  to  Poultney,  \"ermont,  when  that 
region  was  a  wilderness,  and  there  acquired 
a  fine  estate.  Pond  Hill,  near  the  place,  be- 
ing named  in  his  honor.      William  Pond,  tlie 


son  of  Daniel,  born  in  1763,  married  Ruth 
Wood.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  died  in  1838.  Harry  Pond,  son 
of  William,  was  born  in  Lenox,  Berkshire 
county,  Massachusetts,  in  1798,  and  re- 
moved with  his  father's  family  to  Poultney, 
Vermont,  where  he  died.  He  married  Lo- 
vina  Hollembeak,  a  native  of  Ticonderoga 
county.  New  York.  Their  son,  ."^mericus 
H.  Pond,  was  born  in  Crawford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  30,  1831,  and  finished 
his  education  in  Grand  River  Institute  in 
Ashtabula  county,  Ohio. 

In  1851,  Americus  H.  Pond  came  west 
and  located  m  Genoa  township,  where  he 
began  life  for  liimself.  During  the  first  win- 
ter he  taught  school  for  eighteen  dollars  per 
month,  a  sum  that  seems  paltry  to  teachers 
of  to-day.  For  a  number  of  years  he  rented 
land,  it  seeming  almost  impossible  for  him 
to  get  a  substantial  start  in  life.  He  bought 
his  first  land  in  1859,  a  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1865 
and  bought  his  present  farm,  which  now 
consists  of  nearly  three  hundred  acres  of  the 
finest  land  in  northern  Illinois.  He  is  a 
man  of  whom  all  speak  in  the  highest  terms 
of  praise,  and  has  frequently  been  urged  to 
represent  his  district  in  the  house  or  state 
senate,  but  prefers  to  be  a  private  citizen. 
He  married  .Amy  Hollembeak,  a  daughter 
ot  Ruloff  and  Electa  fAmes)  Hollembeak. 
The  wedding  ceremony  was  performed  Jan- 
uary 24,  1852.  Rulofl[  Hollembeak  was  the 
son  of  Abram  Hollembeak,  whose  father  was 
one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from  Hol- 
land in  colonial  days. 

Charles  C.  Pond  is  the  oldest  son  of 
Americus  H.  and  Amy  Pond,  and  was  born 
in  Sycamore  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois, December  24.  1856.  His  parents  re- 
moved to  Genoa  township,  three  years  later. 


THE    B[0(iRAFHICAL    RECORD. 


^71 


where  lie  was  reared  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  which  was  followed  by  a  course 
in  the  Sj'camore  schools,  and  one  year  in 
Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mt.  Morris.  Illinois. 
After  completing  his  studies  he  taught  school 
for  five  winters,  working  on  a  farm  the  re- 
maining seasons  of  the  year. 

On  the  30th  of  September.  1880.  .Mr. 
Pond  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Rosetta  Harned.  a  native  of  Mayfield  town- 
ship. De  Kalb  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
Edmund  B.  Harned.  born  in  Smithtown, 
Suffolk  county.  Long  Island.  July  13,  1829. 
He  was  the  son  of  Hosea  Harned,  also  a 
native  of  Smithtown.  Long  Island,  born  in 
1798,  and  who  married  Rosetta  Brown,  a 
native  of  the  same  place,  born  in  1799. 
}acob  Harned.  the  father  of  Hosea,  was 
born  in  Perth  Amboy,  New  |ersey,  and  soon 
after  the  Revolutionary  war  settled  on  a 
tract  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  on 
Long  Island,  where  his  family  was  born. 
He  died  there  in  1824,  when  about  seventy- 
five  years  old.  The  name  was  originally 
Harne,  but  the  spelling  was  changed  by  the 
addition  of  the  letter  d.  Hosea  Harned,  in 
1832.  moved  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  by 
svay  of  the  Hudson  river,  from  Sandy  Hook 
to  Troy,  thence  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  and 
lake  to  Ohio.  He  settled  in  Geauga  county, 
but  in  I  8;  I  came  to  Illinois. 

Edmund  B.  Harned  married  Susan  Siv- 
wright,  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  born  Jan- 
uary 6,  1833,  and  a  daughter  of  James  M. 
Sivwright,  born  in  Windsor,  Nova  Scotia, 
in  1778,  and  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-four years.  He  emigrated  to  the  States 
i:i  1844,  and  located  in  Mayfield  township, 
Ue  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  He  was  the  son 
uf  James  Sivwright,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
born  near  Aberdeen,  and  who  served  in  the 
British  army  against  the  Americans  and  was 


in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  remained 
in  America  after  the  war,  and  married 
Susan  Dalrymple.  a  native  of  northern  Ire- 
land, whose  family  were  originall}-  from 
France.  She  died  at  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  five  years.  James  M.  Sivwright 
married  Prudence  Eaton,  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  born  in  1806.  and  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Eunice  (Wells)  Eaton. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Pond  re- 
moved to  Sycamore,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  jewelrv  business  for  six  years,  having  as 
partners  at  different  times.  Messrs.  Bacon. 
Warren  and  Meeker.  In  the  spring  of  1888 
he  sold  his  jewelry  stock,  and  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  began  a  successful  career  in 
the  insurance  business.  For  about  eight 
years  he  was  a  special  agent  adjusting 
claims  through  Illinois  and  Iowa,  at  the 
same  time  conducting  a  local  office  in  Syca- 
more. On  the  1st  day  of  May,  1898,  here- 
tired  from  the  adjusting  business,  and  has 
since  given  his  entire  time  to  the  Sycamore 
office,  representing  many  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial fire  insurance  companies  doing  busi- 
ness in  this  state. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pond  two  children 
have  been  born,  Ethel  C.  and  Amy  S. 
Mrs.  Pond  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason  and  holds  membership  with  the 
blue  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  at 
Sycamore.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 


ED\\ARD  M.  DELANA.  of  Cortland, 
Illinois,  is  a  business  man  of  recognized 
ability,  and  the  owner  of  four  large  cream- 
eries, which  use  the  product  of  rnanj'  farm- 
ers and   which  turn  out  a  large  amount  o( 


2  74 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


butter  and  cheese  that  finds  a  read)'  sale  in 
Chicago  and  other  markets.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  St.  Charles,  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
born  July  20,  1850,  and  is  the  son  of  Pat- 
rick and  Henrietta  (Keegan)  Delana,  both 
natises  of  Ireland,  and  who  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  one  of  whom,  Thom- 
as, is  now  deceased.  The  living  are  Mary, 
James  H.,  William  and  Edward  M.  The 
father  came  to  the  United  States  from  Ire- 
!and  at  an  early  day  and  located  first  in  the 
village  of  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  and  after- 
wards removed  to  a  farm  where  our  subject 
was  born  and  reared,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools. 

In  his  youth  Mr.  Delana  learned  the  but- 
ter and  cheese  trade,  witii  which  he  has 
since  been  connected  and  in  which  he  has 
been  (]uite  successful.  In  June,  1S87.  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella 
Keenan,  a  native  of  De  Kalb  county,  by 
whom  he  has  had  two  children,  Edward  and 
George. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  Catho- 
lic church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  ser\ed  as  school  director  and 
trustee.  He  is  a  man  that  is  esteemed, 
not  alone  by  the  friends  and  neighbors 
around  him,  but  also  by  his  employees  in 
the  various  factories,  and  the  public  in  gen- 
eral. 


REV.  WILLIAM  HUTCHINSON 
SMITH,  pastor  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  Genoa,  Illinois,  was  born 
four  miles  from  Rome,  in  the  town  of  \\'est- 
ern,  Oneida  county.  New  York,  June  16, 
1829,  and  is  the  son  of  Edward  B.  Smith, 
born  in  Whitestown.  Chautauqua  county, 
New  York,  and  the  grandson  of  William 
Smith,  who  married    Lydia   Cleghorn.      On 


the  26th  of  October,  1825,  Edward  B. 
Smith  married  Harriet  Hutchinson,  born 
May  7,  1S04,  and  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Zenas 
Hutchinson,  who  was  president  of  the  first 
medical  society  formed  in  New  York  and 
whoremoved  from  that  state  toConnecticut. 
He  was  born  November  21,  1770,  at  Leba- 
non, Connecticut,  and  was  the  son  of  Paul 
and  Susanna  (Sprague)  Hutchinson.  The 
wife  of  Dr.  Zenas  Hutchinson  was  Fannie 
Smith,  born  in  Scotland,  September  17, 
1780,  and  a  daughter  of  Tyler  Smith. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  lived  in  his 
native  count}',  until  1850,  in  the  meantime 
attending  the  district  schools,  and  later 
spending  two  years  in  the  Rome  Academy. 
He  then  taught  school  one  term  and  in  March, 
1850,  came  west  to  Hillsdale  county,  Mich- 
igan, where  he  remained  about  si.\  months 
and  from  there  went  to  Branch  county, 
south  of  Coldwater,  and  later  spent  eighteen 
months  at  Adrian  and  the  same  length  of 
time  at  Allegan,  Michigan.  While  at  Ad- 
rian, on  the  4th  of  May,  1853,  he  married 
Mary  Elizabeth  St.  John,  a  native  of  Pal- 
myra, New  York,  and  daughter  of  Rev. 
Marshall  St.  John,  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died 
in  1852  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Catherine  Brodock,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.  Of  their  four  children 
Mrs.  Smith  was  first  in  order  of  birth.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  ten  children  have  been 
born.  Willard  Marshall  is  an  attorney  re- 
siding in  La  Salle,  Illinois.  Ida  Z.  at  home. 
Seymour  E.  resides  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Charles  Anderson  died  at  the  age 
of  one  year.  Cornelia  E.  is  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  Richmond,  Illinois. 
Harriet  H.  is  a  teacher  at  Austin,  Illinois. 
Morris  S.  is  with  Barnard  &  Co.,  Chicago. 
He    married    Nellie    Keifer,  and    they    have 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


J7S 


two  children,  Paul  and  Ruth.  Albert  G. 
married  Gertrude  Lytle,  and  they  reside  at 
Palatine,  Illinois.  Grace  C.  married  Frank 
T.  Parsons,  and  their  children  are  Winfield 
and  Donald.  They  reside  at  Williams'  Bay, 
Wisconsin.  Frank  A.  married  Nellie  Julian 
and  the}'  have  one  child.   Kenneth. 

In  the  fall  of  1855.  Mr.  Smith  went  to- 
Aurora,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  for  a  short  time  and  then  secured  rail- 
road work  at  Galesburg,  but  retained  his 
home  in  .Aurora  for  two  years.  In  the  fall 
of  1857  he  went  to  Lee  county,  Illinois,  on 
a  farm  near  Mulligan's  Grove,  and  taught 
school  at  West  Brooklyn.  In  1S58  he  was 
licensed  as  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  in  the  fall  of  1S59.  joined 
the  Rock  River  conference.  He  was  first 
stationed  at  Polo,  Illinois,  and  from  there 
went  to  Fulton  City.  In  the  fall  of  1862. 
he  became  captain  of  the  Seventy-fifth  Illi- 
nois \'olunteer  Infantr}',  the  regiment  being 
assigned  to  the  .\rmy  of  the  Cumberland. 
It  was  in  various  engagements,  first  at  Nash- 
ville, with  General  Porter,  and  then  at  Stone 
River,  Lookout  Mountain.  Chickamagua.  on 
the  march  from  Chattanooga  to  Blue  Springs, 
in  the  battle  of  Dalton.  and  also  at  Buz- 
zard's Roost.  Having  contracted  a  severe 
cold,  he  was  discharged  after  eighteen 
months'  service  and    returned  to   his  home. 

By  the  Rock  River  conference  he  was 
assigned  to  Di.xon.  Illinois,  and  later  sent 
to  Aurora,  where  he  took  charge  of  Jennings 
Seminary.  Leaving  that  institution  he  ac- 
cepted a  charge  at  Newark,  Kendall  coun- 
ty, and  the  following  year  was  at  Sandwich. 
In  the  fall  of  1866  he  went  to  Polo,  Illinois, 
during  which  time  he  erected  the  church 
building  at  that  place,  and  was  then  three 
years  at  Sterling.  From  there  he  went  to 
La  Salle,  where    he  remained  two  vears.  in 


the  meantime  building  a  house  of  worship. 
After  being  at  Mendota  two  years  he  was 
elected  presiding  elder  and  served  four  years. 
He  was  ne.xt  assigned  the  church  at  De 
Kalb,  where  he  remained  one  year,  and  was 
then  sent  toRockford  for  three  years.  From 
Rockford  he  went  to  Marengo  for  two  years, 
after  which  he  was  at  Paw  Paw  two  years, 
Hinckley  two  years.  Richmond  and  Hebron 
two  years,  and  Palatine  four  years,  erect- 
ting  a  fine  church  at  the  latter  place. 
In  thi-  fall  of  1S96  he  was  assigned 
to  Genoa,  where  he  still  remains.  Mr. 
Smith  has  fine  architectural  talent  and 
has  furnished  plans  for  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  at  Oregon.  Illinois,  and  Platt- 
ville.  Wisconsin,  which  plans  were  copied 
by  the  church  at  Waterloo,  Dakota.  In 
politics  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican,  and  fra- 
ternalU'  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  post  at 
Rockford,  and  Rock  River  Lodge,  Xo.  612, 
at  Sterling.  Illinois.  .As  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  he  has  been  \  ery  successful  and  in- 
strumental in  bringing;  man\'  souls  into  the 
kingdom  of  Christ. 


JOEL  W.  CLARK,  proprietor  of  the 
Malta  Hotel,  Malta,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  Clarksburg,  Massachusetts,  January  9, 
1S37,  and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  W.  and 
Lovina  (Ketchum)  Clark,  both  also  nati\es 
of  Clarksburg,  Massachusetts,  the  former 
being  the  son  of  Saley  Clark,  of  the  same 
place.  The  Clarks  were  numbered  among 
the  first  settlers  in  Massachusetts,  and  were 
prominent  farmers  in  that  part  of  the  state 
in  which  they  lived.  They  are  of  English 
e.xtraction.  Sal  jy  Clark  in  particular  was 
a  man  of  wide  influence,  the  very  town  in 
which  he  was  born  taking  its  name  from 
him.      He  served   in  the  state  legislature  of 


276 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Massachusetts  where  his   abilitj  was  recog- 
nized by  all. 

Benjamin  W.  Clark  removed  with  his 
family  to  Illinois  about  1858,  locating  in 
DuPage  county,  where  the  family  remained 
a  short  time,  when  they  removed  to  De 
Kalb  county,  where  the  father  died  in  1863, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him  many  years,  dying  in  1890,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  They  were 
both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  were  loyal  to  the  Master's 
cause.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living. 
He  also  served  in  the  legislature  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Joel  W.  Clark  spent  his  boyhood  in  his 
native  town  and  county,  and  in  its  pub- 
lic schools  received  his  education.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  fifteen  \'ears  of  age, 
at  which  time  he  came  west  to  DuPage 
county.  Illinois,  where  his  uncle,  Levi 
Ketchum.  then  resided,  and  with  whom  he 
lived  three  j'ears.  This  was  previous  to 
the  removal  of  his  parents.  It  was  in 
1856.  during  the  Fremont  and  Buchanan 
campaign,  that  he  removed  to  De  Kalb 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1865,  and 
then  went  to  Lee  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he 
soon  added  an  additional  seventy  acres,  all 
of  which  was  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 
On  that  farm  he  resided  until  March,  1898, 
when,  in  partnership  with  his  nephew,  L. 
Clark,  he  took  possession  of  the  Malta 
Hotel,  buying  out  William  \'anarchdale. 
Mr.  Clark  repaired  and  remodeled  the  house, 
putting  in  new  furniture  and  renovating  it 
from  garret  to  cellar,  making  it  neat  and 
comfortable,  one  in  which  the  traveling 
public  can  take  delight. 

Mr.  Clark   has   been  twice   married,    his 


first  union  being  with  Miss  Maria  Ketchum. 
daughter  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  Ketchum,  and 
they  were  united  January  9,  1858.  She 
was  born  in  DuPage  county.  By  this  union 
there  were  three  children:  Orian  L. ,  born 
July  19,  i860,  died  September  26,  1861; 
Walter  C. ,  bo'rn  June  22,  1867.  died  March 
•5.  1872;  i^ulu  -M.,  born  |uly  24,  1878,  is  jet 
living.  On  the  22d  of  March,  1895,  he  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie  (ohn- 
ston.  daughter  of  John  and  .Ann  [ohnston. 
and  by  this  union  there  is  one  child.  Helen 
Lovina,  born  February  2,  1896.  Mrs. 
Clark  comes  of  a  long-lived  race,  her 
grandparents  now  living  at  the  advanced 
age  of  one  hundred  and  five  years  in  the 
north  of   Ireland  are  hale  and  heart\ . 


HENRY  WOKl',  a  veteran  of  the  war 
for  the  Union,  who  for  three  jears 
served  his  adopted  country  faithfully,  as  a 
member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  now  resides 
upon  a  fine  farm  of  four  hundred  and  forty- 
six  acres  of  well-improved  land  in  section 
25.  Franklin  township.  He  is  a  native  of 
Norfolk.  England,  born  February  3,  1837, 
and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  Worf, 
both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  Norfolk, 
England.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  George,  William,  John,  James, 
Abraham,  Henry.  Isaac.  Charles.  Maria, 
Sophia  and  Sarah.  Of  these  all  are  de- 
ceased save  William.  .Abraham,  Henrv  and 
Sophia. 

The  boyhood  and  \outh  of  our  subject 
was  spent  in  his  native  land,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  ver\'  limited  education.  With  a 
desire  to  better  his  condition  in  life,  he  con- 
cluded to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  new  world, 
and  in    1856  left   his  native  land   and  came 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


27; 


ilirect  to  Kirkland.  Ue  Kalb  county.  Illinois. 
On  his  arrival  he  secured  work  on  various 
farms  and  continued  to  be  thus  employed 
by  the  month  for  about  six  years,  in  the 
meantime  attending  the  public  schools  dur- 
ing the  winter,  thus  receiving  a  pretty  fair 
education.  His  adopted  country  was  now 
in  the  midst  of  a  struggle  for  its  life,  and 
his  sympathies  being  with  the  down-trodden 
and  oppressed,  he  enlisted  at  Kingston,  Illi- 
nois. August  2.  i<S62.  in  Company  C.  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, a  regiment  that  has  a  proud  record 
for  service  in  the  war.  With  his  regiment 
he  was  in  the  battles  of  Resaca,  Atlanta. 
Mt.  Hickory,  Bentonville  and  various  minor 
engagements.  After  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
his  regiment  was  with  Sherman  on  the 
march  to  the  sea.  and  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  war  was  in  the  grand  review  at  Wash- 
ington.  It  was  discharged  June  6.  1865.  at 
\\'ashington.  D.  C. 

After  receiving  his  discharge.  Mr.  Worf 
returned  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  again 
worked  by  the  month,  and  saving  his  hard 
earnings,  in  1882,  he  purchased  two  hun- 
dred and  six  acres  of  land  in  Kingston  town- 
ship, which  he  sold.  His  present  farm 
comprises  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
which  is  highly  improved  and  one  of  the 
best  in  Franklin  township. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1879.  -^'r. 
Worf  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Susan  Zubler,  a  native  of  Penns3lvania, 
and  by  this  union  there  are  three  children. 
Bessie.  Charles  and  .Aita.  Their  home  life 
is  a  happy  one.  Mr.  Worf  still  maintains 
his  interest  in  his  war  record,  and  is  now  a 
member  of  Barnes  Post,  G.  A.  R.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, holding  membership  in  the  blue 
lodge    at   Kingston,    and   in   the  commaiid- 


erv  at  Sycamore.  In  politics  he  is  an 
ardent  Republican,  having  given  his  support 
to  that  party  since  his  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try. He  landed  here  during  the  first  presi- 
dential campaign  of  that  party,  and  identi- 
fying himself  with  it.  has  continued  to  vo.te 
the  part}-  ticket.  While  it  took  him  some 
years  to  obtain  his  first  real  start  m  life, 
since  acquiring  his  first  tract  of  land  he  has 
been  verv  successful,  and  is  now  numbered 
among  the  well-to-do  and  wide-awake  farm- 
ers of  De  Kalb  countv. 


SAMUEL  gUIST.  contractor  and  builder. 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  forms  one  of  that 
large  number  of  citizens  of  Sweden  who 
are  among  the  most  desirable  emigrants  that 
make  up  our  cosmopolitan  population.  Ever 
since  the  first  settlement  made  by  the 
Swedes  in  Delaware,  they  have  been  a 
worthy  factor  in  western  civilization.  Being 
thrifty  and  energetic,  they  soon  become  in 
sympathy  with  American  institutions,  and 
are  true  patriots,  willing  to  do  all  they  can 
in  defense  of  their  adopted  country. 

Samuel  Ouist  was  born  near  the  town 
of  Swengungen,  Sweden,  October  8.  1850. 
and  is  the  son  of  Swenig  and  Annette  (.An- 
derson) Quist.  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  the  same  country,  the  father  being  born 
in  181 1.  He  came  to  .America  a  few  years 
after  our  subject,  with  whom  he  now  makes 
his  home.  Swenig  and  .Annette  Ouist  svere 
the  parents  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
The  paternal  grandfather  was  Gus  Nelson, 
who  after  service  in  the  army  in  a  war  with 
Germany  was  given  the  surname  of  Ouist. 
which  has  since  been  the  family  name. 

In  his  native  country  our  subject  grew 
to  manhood  and  attended  the  parochial 
schools  between  the  ages  of  seven  and  four- 


278 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD 


teen,  at  which  time  he  was  confirmed  in  the 
Lutheran  church.  From  fifteen  to  twenty- 
one  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  As 
soon  as  he  arrived  at  maturity  he  deter- 
mined to  emigrate  to  America,  and  there- 
fore sailed  from  Gothburg,  Sweden,  for 
Hull,  England;  crossed  to  Liverpool  and 
sailed  for  New  York,  landing  in  that  city 
the  later  part  (jf  April,  iS/i.  From  New 
York  he  came  directly  west  and  secured 
work  for  five  months  on  a  farm  in  Cook 
county.  Illinnis.  Soon  afterwards  he  went 
to  Chicago  to  learn  the  trade  of  car- 
penter, and  there  worked  for  three  years. 
He  then  came  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  and 
for  nine  years  worked  for  Jacob  Deiley, 
and  then  entered  into  partnership  with  him. 
which  was  contmued  for  two  years  and  then 
dissolved.  For  the  succeeding  two  years  he 
was  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  John 
Lunciuist,  and  William  Anderson.  He  then 
bought  Mr.  Andersons  interest,  but  re- 
mained two  years  longer  in  partnership  with 
his  other  partner.  In  1894  that  copartner- 
ship was  dissolved,  since  which  time  our 
subject  has  carried  on  the  business  alone. 
Since  187;  Mr.  Ouist  has  been  constantly 
engaged  at  his  trade,  and  on  the  greater 
number  of  fine  buildings  in  Sycamore  he 
was  either  employed  or  acted  as  contractor 
and  builder.  He  has  now  a  well  equipped 
shop  with  steam  power,  circular  and  band 
saws,  and  turning  lathes,  molding  machines, 
etc.  He  is  prepared  to  do  the  finest  inside 
and  outside  work,  and  employs  from  fifteen 
to  thirty  men. 

On  the  3d  of  July.  1877.  Mr.  Ouist  was 
united  in  marriage  at  Sycamore,  with  ^[iss 
Ida  Boline,  born  in  Smolen.  Sweden,  and 
who  came  to  America  in  1869  with  her  two 
brothers,  sailing  from  Copenhagen  in  Au- 
gust, by  way  of   Hull  and   Liverpool,  Eng- 


land, to  New  York.  Siie  is  the  daughter 
of  Swen  M.  Boline.  who  married  Guenella 
Peterson,  a  daughter  of  Pierre  and  Dorthea 
(Anderson)  Peterson. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  (}iiist  live  in  a  beautiful 
home  erected  by  himself,  on  corner  of  Lo- 
cust and  Ottawa  streets  in  the  fall  of  1886. 
They  are  both  members  of  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  a  member  of 
the  Modern  \\"oodinen  of  .\merica.  As  a 
citizen  he  is  enterprising  and  stands  high 
in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


JOHN  F.  SHOOP  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising farmers  of  Malta  township,  and 
resides  on  section  22.  where  he  has  a  highly 
productive  farm.  He  was  born  in  Pierce 
township,  De  Kalb  county.  Illinois,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1857,  and  is  the  son  of  Solomon 
and  Catherine  (Eberlyi  Shoop,  both  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  but  of  German  descent. 
They  were  married  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  resided  for  a  number  of  years  and 
where  the  husband  and  father  engaged  in 
tilling  the  soil,  the  family  being  held  in  high 
esteem  by  their  fellow  citizens.  In  1848 
they  removed  west,  locating  in  Pierce  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county.  Illinois,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  its  natural  state.  This  land  he 
improved  by  the  erection  of  substantial 
buildings  and  outhouses  and  in  due  time 
had  as  good  a  farm  as  was  in  the  township. 
To  his  first  purchase  he  added  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  addition,  which  he  dis- 
posed of  in  a  few  years,  but  retained  his 
original  farm.  Solomon  and  Catherine 
Shoop  were  members  of  the  German  Evan- 
gelical church,  and  stood  well  in  the  esteem 
of  the  community,  dying  at  a  ripe  old  age,  • 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JOHN   F.   SHOOP. 


MRS.  J.   F.   SHOOP. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


2X3 


the  former  at  Pierceville,  De  Kalb  county, 
in  March.  1886,  and  the  latter  at  Hinckley. 
February  28,  1892.  The\-  were  the  par- 
ents of  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity,  and  eight  of  the  number  now 
living. 

John  E.  Shoop  was  seventh  in  cjrder  of 
birth  and  grew  to  manhood  on  tlie  old  farm 
in  Pierce  township,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  schooLs  of  Pierceville.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority, 
when  he  engaged  in  farming  at  various 
points  in  the  county.  He  was  married  in 
October,  1S82,  to  Miss  Margaret  Wende- 
berg,  who  was  born  at  Pierceville,  Illinois, 
December  10,  1S60,  and  the  daughter  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  Wendeberg.  Hy 
this  union  one  son  has  been  born,  Elmer  J., 
.\pril   14,   1887. 

In  1882  Mr.  Shoop  removed  to  Malta 
township,  w'here  he  rented  land  for  one 
year,  and  then  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
improved  land  on  which  he  resided  si.x 
years  and  which  he  worked  in  a  profitable 
manner.  Having  a  chance  to  sell  and 
make  a  good  profit  on  his  investment  he 
disposed  of  that  farm  and  purchased  a  larger 
one  adjacent  to  the  village  of  Malta,  con- 
taining one  hundred  and  si.xty-three  and 
a  half  acres,  on  which  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoop  are  active  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  which 
he  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  and  steward 
very  acceptably  for  a  number  of  years. 
They  are  both  alive  to  every  christian  work 
and  never  hesitate  to  do  therr  duty  in  ad- 
vancing the  Master's  cause.  A  good  farm- 
er, a  loyal  citizen  and  an  obliging  neighbor, 
-Mr.  Shoop  has  been  honored  with  several 
township  offices,  which  he  has  conscien- 
tiousl}'  filled  to  his  own  credit  and  the  peo- 
ple's good. 

14 


HERMAN  G.  LOSSMAN,  a  dairyman 
residing  on  De  Kalb  avenue.  Syca- 
more, was  born  in  Anclam,  province  of 
Pomerania,  Germany.  January  i  1,  1S52,  and 
is  the  son  of  Adolph  Lossman,  also  a  native 
of  Pomerania.  (lerniany.  From  the  age  of 
six  years,  until  fourteen  years  old.  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  his  native  vil- 
lage, and  then  went  to  sea  and  for  sixteen 
years  was  a  sailor  on  the  ocean  and  sailed 
all  o\er  the  known  globe  in  everv  continent, 
visiting  almost  ever\'  country,  including 
China.  Japan,  the  Itidies,  .\frica,  North  and 
South  .America,  the  Mediterranean  coast, 
W^hite  Sea,  in  .Arctic  waters,  and  in  Iceland. 
During  this  time  he  served  his  three  years 
in  the  German  navy,  acquitting  himself 
with  credit.  In  1882  he  quit  the  sea  and 
worked  one  year  with  his  father  on  a  small 
boat  on  the  Peene  river  in  Germany.  In 
1883  he  left  his  native  land  for  America, 
and  in  due  time  landed  at  New  York,  from 
whic'ti  place  he  came  to  Sycamore,  where  a 
brother  and  an  uncle  had  previously  located. 
For  twelve  years  he  worked  in  the  canning 
factory  at  Sycamore,  five  years  of  which 
time  he  was  employed  as  foreman.  Resign- 
ing his  position  in  the  factory,  he  established 
his  present  business  as  inilk  dealer,  pur- 
chasing from  the  farmers  and  retailing 
throughout  the  city.  He  began  in  a  small 
way,  but  by  his  fair  dealing  his  business 
rapidh'  increased,  and  he  now  runs  two 
wagons,  disposing  of  eighty  gallons  of  milk 
per  da\ . 

Mr.  Lossman  was  !narried  in  .Anclani, 
Province  of  Pomerania,  (Germany,  March 
24,  1882,  to  Miss  Bertha  .Arndt.  who  was 
also  born  in  that  village  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  1  .Arndt  1  .Arndt.  both  of  whom 
spent  their  entire  li\'es  in  the  old  countrv. 
Of  the  five  children  born  to  our  subject  and 


284 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


wife,  William,  who  is  his  father's  helper  in 
the  tnili<  business,  was  born  in  Germany. 
Frank,  George,  Anna  and  Emma  were  born 
in  Sycamore.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lossman  were 
reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  but  are  now 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Sycamore.  Fraternally  he  is  a  tnember 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Republican.  Thrifty,  enter- 
prising and  energetic,  he  has  been  fairly 
successful  since  coming  to  Sycamore,  and 
now  owns  a  neat  residence  at  the  west  end 
of  De  Kalb  avenue,  with  a  good  outfit  of 
wagons,  horses,  etc.,  necessary  for  the 
transaction  of  his  business. 


MALCOLM  McMURCHY,  the  present 
supervisor  of  South  Grove  township, 
is  a  fairly  well  known  citizen  of  the  county 
and  is  a  practical  farmer,  one  who  has  made 
a  success  of  his  chosen  vocation.  He  was 
born  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  November  3, 
1850,  and  is  the  son  of  Malcolm  and  Jean- 
nette  (Renwick)  McMurchy,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Scotland  and  who  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  as  follows:  Daniel. 
Walter,  John,  Malcolm,  Mary  and  Agnes. 
Malcolm  McMurchy,  Sr. .  was  reared  in 
his  native  land  and  there  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  an  "occupation  which  he  fol- 
lowed exclusively  while  yet  residing  in  his 
native  land.  In  an  early  day  he  crossed 
the  ocean  to  Canada,  and  in  1845  came  to 
Kane  county  and  there  worked  at  his  trade. 
On  the  29th  of  March,  1842.  he  married 
Jeannette  Renwick,  a  daughter  of  Walter 
Renwick,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Scotland.  William  Renwick.  the  paternal 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  na- ' 
tive   of    Dumfriesshire,    Scotland,    and   was 


also  a  farmer  by  occupation  He  emigrated 
to  America  with  his  family  ,ind  in  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  engaged  in  farming,  a  \o- 
cation  at  which  he  continued  until  his  death 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Malcolm  Mc- 
Murchy, Sr. ,  came  to  De  Kalb  county  in 
1850,  and  located  on  his  farm  where  our 
subject  now  resides  in  1863,  and  there  died, 
February  14,  1  S65,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood on  his  father's  farm  and  has  made  farm- 
ing his  life  work  He  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  by  reading  and  obser- 
vation has  since  become  a  well-informed 
man.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  the  old  McMurchy  homestead, 
which  he  has  well  improved  and  kept  under 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  He  is  quite 
prominent  in  his  township  and  for  three 
terms  served  as  road  commissioner,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1898  was  elected  supervisor  of 
his  township.  In  politics  he  is  a  thorough 
Republican  and  has  voted  with  that  party 
since  attaining  his  majorit\'.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  Mason,  holding  membership  with 
the  lodge  at  Creston. 


JAMES  M.  ORPUT,  wagon-maker  and 
tank-builder.  Malta,  Illinois,  was  the 
first  man  to  transact  business  in  the  village 
and  one  of  its  first  settlers,  building  the 
first  house  in  Malta  in  September,  1856. 
He  is  a  native  of  Homer  township,  Loraine 
county,  Ohio,  born  December  8,  1824,  and 
is  the  son  of  Richard  and  Reliefie  (Hatch) 
Orput,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
the  latter  of  New  York.  The}-  removed  to 
Illinois  in  1837,  arriving  in  De  Kalb  county 
October  8  and  stopping  over  night  on  the 
prairie  between  what  is  now  Sycamore  and 
South  Grove.      The\'  lost  the  trail  and  dark- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


28: 


ness  set  in  and  were  obliged  to  wait  for  the 
coming  day  In  their  company  was  a  man 
who  had  been  there  the  year  previous,  and 
when  dayhght  came  he  recognized  Orput 
Grove  a  short  distance  away,  it  having  been 
purchased  the  previous  year  by  Mr.  Orput 
but  had  not  been  occupied.  With  his  fam- 
ily he  settled  at  Orput  (iro\e,  but  two  years 
later  returned  to  Ohio,  for  the  benefit  of  hi.s 
health  and  there  died  about  1S40.  His 
family  remained  at  the  Grove  until  1850 
when  the  sons  began  to  separate  and  pro- 
vide for  themselves. 

On  leaving  home  our  subject  learned  the 
wheelwright  and  carpenter's  trade,  and  in 
1852  he  married  Miss  Almira  Krill,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Susan  Krill,  b^-  whom  he 
had  three  children,  Charles,  Frank  and 
Nelson.  In  the  spring  of  1856  he  removed 
to  Malta  and  engaged  in  the  grain  business. 
At  this  time  he  was  the  owner  of  eight  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  of  land  in  De  Kalb 
county,  some  of  which  he  worked  in  addi- 
tion to  carrying  on  the  grain  business. 
About  this  time  his  wife  became  seriously 
ill  with  an  incurable  malady  which  was  a 
heavy  expense  to  him.  In  i860  his  three 
children  were  stricken  and  died,  two  of 
them,  Charles  and  Frank,  within  nine  days 
of  each  other,  while  Nelson  died  six  months 
months  previously.  His  wife  followed 
December's,   1861.  aged   twenty-six  years. 

While  engaged  in  the  grain  business  the 
Civil  war  broke  out,  causing  a  depreciation 
in  value,  by  which  Mr.  Orput  lost  some 
twenty-two  thousand  dollars.  This  loss, 
combined  with  the  loss  of  his  family,  and 
the  expense  necessarily  attached  to  it,  caused 
him  to  fail  financially,  but  he  yet  remained 
an  honest  man.  His  large  tract  of  land 
was  sold  to  meet  the  demands  of  creditors. 
He  continued.however.  in  the  grain  business. 


buying  and  selling,  and  trying  in  every  wav 
to  earn  an  honest  dollar. 

In  1863  Mr.  Orput  married  Miss  Maria 
Rogers,  who  was  born  in  1840  and  the 
daughter  of  Richard  Rogers,  and  to  them 
three  children  were  born,  James  M., 
Kittie  and  Grace.  In  1876  James  M., 
and  Kittie,  died  within  three  months  of 
each  other.  In  February,  1880,  Mrs.  Maria 
Orput  died  and  in  May,  1 888,  Mr.  Orput 
married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Trowbridge,  widow 
of  Charles  Trowbridge. 

Mr.  Orput  continued  in  the  grain  busi- 
ness until  1 870,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
engaged  in  his  present  line.  He  is  of  an 
inventive  turn  of  mind  and  invented  a  har- 
vesting machine  which  he  secured  by  letters 
patent  in  1859.  In  1872  he  patented  an 
equalizer  on  a  wagon,  which  he  improved 
one  year  later.  In  1879  he  invented  an- 
other equalizer,  in  no  wav  related  to  the 
first,  both  of  which  proved  practical.  In 
1884  he  patented  a  road  scraper.  He  is 
also  the  inventor  of  many  other  devices 
which  are  both  novel  and  useful.  He  owns 
his  own  workshop  and  the  dwelling  in  which 
he  lives.  No  man  is  held  in  higher  esteem 
by  his  fellow  citizens,  and  notwithstanding 
his  reverses  he  looks  young  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years. 


GEORGE  H.  STANLEY,  who  after 
years  of  arduous  labor  upon  the  farm 
is  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Genoa, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Smyrna,  Chenango 
coutity.  New  York,  .August  29,  1829.  His 
father.  Dyer  D.  Stanley,  was  born  in  Os- 
wego county.  New  York,  August  3,  1805. 
He  was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  in  1845 
emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  later  retired  from 
active  work,  making  his  home  with  our  sub- 


286 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ject,  until  his  death,  March  9,  1890,  in  his 
eighty-fifth  year.  He  was  the  son  of  Dyer 
D.  Stanley.  Sr.,  who  married  a  Miss  Haw- 
ley,  from  Cherry  Valley,  New  York.  The 
Stanleys  are  of  Puritan  origin,  the  first  of 
the  name  coming  over  in  the  Ma3flower. 
Dyer  D.  Stanley,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
married  Belinda  Pease,  a  native  of  Enfield. 
Hartford  county.  Connecticut,  born  August 
13,  1807,  and  who  died  at  our  subject's 
home  in  Genoa,  January  31,  1887.  When 
quite  young,  her  parents  moved  to  Madison 
county.  New  York,  where  she  grew  to 
womanhood.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Jesse 
and  Abigail  (Larned)  Pease,  both  of  Holland 
descent.  Her  mother  died  in  March,  1857. 
To  Dyer  D.  and  Belinda  Stanley  eight 
children  were  born  as  follows:  Mrs.  Melissa 
Henry,  living  in  Carroll  county.  Missouri; 
George  H..  our  subject;  Leroy  J.,  living  in 
Antelope  county.  Nebraska;  Thomas,  of 
Topeka,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Abigail  White,  of 
Antelope  county,  Nebraska;  Newton  H., 
who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Little  Blue, 
October  2 1 ,  1864;  and  Willis  Jemay,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

In  his  native  town,  Mr.  Stanley  li\ed 
until  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  in  the  mean- 
time attending  the  subscription  schools,  in 
which  the  teacher  boarded  around.  In 
1845,  he  came  west  with  the  family,  by 
canal  to  Buffalo,  and  by  boat  to  Southport, 
driving  from  there  to  Belvidere,  locating  on 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  in 
Spring  township,  Boone  count\.  With  his 
father  he  remained  until  of  age,  when  he 
commenced  learning  the  carpenter's  trade, 
an  occupation  which  he  followed  for  some 
years.  He  began  farming  on  rented  land, 
in  Boone  Count}',  and  he  continued  to  rent 
for  six  years.  He  then  purchased  a  farm 
in  McHenry  count) ,  consisting  of  two  hun- 


dred acres,  to  which  he  later  added  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  giving  him  as  fine 
a  farm  as  any  in  Riley  township.  On  the 
first  farm,  he  built  the  house,  barns  and 
other  outbuildings,  but  on  the  second  farm 
the  buildings  were  already  erected.  Both 
farms  are  well  drained,  w'ith  man\'  rods  of 
tiling,  and  ever)'  acre  is  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  While  activeh'  engaged  in 
farming,  he  devoted  himself  principally  to 
raising  grain  and  stock,  but  for  some  years 
was  engaged  in  dairying,  keeping  about 
sixty  head  of  milch  cows. 

Mr.  Stanley  was  married  Ma\'  31,  1857, 
in  Tiskilwa,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Fall, 
born  near  Chesterfield,  Morgan  county, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Moses  Fall,  a  na- 
tive of  Maine,  born  May  30,  1797.  He 
moved  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  when  a  boy 
and  died  there.  The  family  later  moved  to 
Peoria  county.  He  was  the  son  of  Aaron 
Fall,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
who  saw  seven  years  of  hard  service  and 
was  at  the  fall  of  Quebec.  Aaron  Fall  mar- 
ried Sallie  Bickford,  a  native  of  Maine, 
who  died  when  about  sixty  years  old,  her 
husband  being  eighty-nine  years  old  at  his 
death.  For  a  time  they  lived  in  what  is 
now  West  Virginia,  and  then  moved  to 
Ohio,  where  they  both  died.  Moses  Fall 
married  Eliza  Briggs,  born  in  Massachu- 
setts on  the  South  Coast,  near  Long  Island. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Briggs.  of 
English  descent,  who  married  Zelpha  Att- 
wood,  a  native  of  New  England.  To  Moses 
and  Eliza  Falls  seven  children  were  born, 
three  of  whom  are  j'et  living — Mrs.  Lucy 
Bartlett.  of  Sheffield.  Illinois.  Mrs.  Sarah 
Lackey,  of  Stark  county.  Illinois,  and  Mrs. 
Stanley. 

To  Mr.  and   Mrs.    Stanley  one  son  was 
born,  Harvey  Newton,  born  in  Spring  town- 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


2,S7 


ship,  Boone  county,  Illinois,  September  23, 
1 864.  After  attending;  the  schools  of  Mc- 
Henry  count}-,  he  entered  the  high  school 
of  Genoa,  from  which  he  was  graduated. 
For  several  years  he  en<;aged  in  teach- 
ing, and  then  entered  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Normal,  Illinois,  where  he  spent 
one  year  and  a  half,  after  which  he  again 
engaged  in  teaching.  In  the  spring  of  1889 
he  commenced  farming  in  Riley  township 
on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres 
where  he  still  continues  to  reside.  He  was 
married  in  Genoa  in  November.  1888,  to 
Miss  Jennie  Perkins,  a  daughter  of  H.  A. 
Perkins  of  Genoa,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom  Henry, 
the  first  born,  is  now  deceased.  The  living 
are  Frank,  Howard  and  Harry. 

In  the  spring  of  1884,  Mr.  Stanley  re- 
tired from  active  farming,  removed  to  Ge- 
noa, and  has  since  been  taking  life  eas\-. 
.\t  various  times  in  his  life  he  has  been 
>omething  of  a  traveler.  He  has  found 
work  for  a  time  at  various  emplo\  ments  in 
Wisconsin.  Minnesota.  Iowa,  and  in  fact 
every  state  touched  by  the  Mississippi  riv- 
er. He  has  worked  in  the  pineries  and  has 
rafted  lumber.  He  spent  one  year  in 
Louisiana  and  Mississippi  working  at  his 
trade.  In  1859  he  made  a  trip  overland  to 
Colorado.  In  politics  he  is  a  Prcjhibitionist 
and  has  held  nearly  all  of  the  minor  town- 
ship offices.  Religiously  he  and  his  fam- 
ily are  connected  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Fe.v  men  have  more  warm 
friends  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


JOHN    H.    LARSON,  a  native  of  La 
Salle    county.    Illinois,   born    February 
14,  1S47.  now    resides    on    section    3,    Paw 


Paw  township.  De  Kalb  county,  his  farms 
consisting  of  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
all  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  highly 
improved.  His  father.  Lars  Larson,  was  a 
native  of  Norwaj',  and  who  there  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth,  coming  to  the  United 
States  a  young  man.  He  first  located  in 
New  York,  where  he  remained  a  short  time, 
and  then  came  west  to  La  Salle  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  made  a  permanent  loca- 
tion. He  married  in  La  Salle  county  Miss 
Caroline  Hulverson,  a  native  of  Norway, 
who  there  grew  to  womanhood,  and  who 
came  to  this  country  with  her  mother  and 
step-father.  On  locating  in  La  Salle  coun- 
ty Mr.  Larson  purchased  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land,  and  later  bought  thirty 
acres  of  timber.  His  first  house  was  a 
little  log  shanty,  ten  by  twelve  feet,  in 
which  he  lived  while  making  his  first  im- 
provements on  the  place.  The  farm  under 
his  management  became  a  well-cultivated 
place,  and  he  there  lived,  dying  in  1850. 
He  was  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  the 
count}'.  His  wife  survived  him  many  years, 
dying  in  iS8S,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  sons 
and  one  daughter:  Martha,  Oliver  and 
John  H. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  La  Salle  county,  and  as  the  oppor- 
tunity was  afforded  him  attended  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  remained  with  his  mother 
until  twenty  years  of  age,  with  the  e.xcep- 
tion  of  rive  years  just  alter  the  mother's  sec- 
ond marriage.  Arriving  at  mature  j-ears, 
he  bought  a  tract  of  seventy  acres,  which 
was  partially  improved,  and  there  farmed 
for  nine  years.  He  then  p;irc!iaseiJ  one 
hunJrod  and  fifty-six  acres  on  section  3, 
Paw  Paw  township,  comprising  part  of  his 
present  farm.      The  farm   was  an  improved 


288 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


one,  but  he  has  greatly  added  to  its  vahie 
and  appearance  by  the  erection  of  a  number 
of  outbuildings,  wind-pump,  and  well  tiling 
the  place.  In  1S78  he  purchased  sixty 
acre.s  adjoining.  From  time  to  time  he  add- 
ed to  his  possessions  until  he  now  has  five 
hundred  and  twentj'  acres  of  well-impro\ed 
land,  which  brings  him  in  •uinually  a  goodly 
income. 

On  the  Sth  of  januar>-,  iS6cS,  in  Dodge 
county,  Minnesota,  Mr.  Larson  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Stevenson,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  bt)rii  in  La  Salic  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  Sjur  Stevenson,  a  native 
of  Xorwax'  and  a  pioneer  of  La  Salle  county. 
By  this  nnion  there  were  seven  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  living 
are  Edwin,  Frank,  .\lbert,  Nellie,  F^mma 
and  John. 

Politically  Mr.  Larson  is  a  lifelong  Re- 
publican, casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  General  Grant  in  1868.  He  has  served 
six  years  as  commissioner  of  highways,  and 
for  twenty  years  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  and  his  wife  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Lutheran  church,  in  which  faith 
they  were  both  reared.  They  are  well- 
known  and  highly-respected  citizens  of  De 
Kalb  county,  where  the  greater  part  of  their 
lives  has  been  spent. 


JOHN  D.  McClelland,  hveryman, 
whose  place  of  business  is  on  Fourth 
street,  De  Kalb,  Illinois,  has  one  of  the  best 
equipped  establishments  in  the  city.  His 
stables  are  clean,  well  lighted,  with  thorough 
ventilation,  and  in  every  way  comfortable. 
He  was  born  June  8,  1847,  in  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of  George  W.  and 
Jane  H.  (Walker)  McClelland,  both  natives 
of    Erie,    Crawford    count}',    Pennsylvania, 


the    former   born    March    16,    1822,  and   the 
latter  November  7,    1824. 

George  \V,  McClelland  was  a  prosperous 
farmer,  and  removed  from  Erie,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Illinois,  arriving  in  Kane  county 
November  28,  1843,  the  same  year  in  which 
he  was  married,  and  for  a  short  time  resided 
at  Biudington,  Illinois.  In  i  857  he  removed 
with  his  faniiU  to  Kingston,  l)^•  Kail)  coimty, 
win-rc  he  jiurchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres,  eighty  acres  I'f  which  was  in  [)rairie 
and  the  remainder  in  timlKT.  This  place 
he  improved,  erecting  on  it  suitable  build- 
ings and  placing  it  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  His  death  was  the  result  of  an 
accident.  He  was  kicked  b}'  a  horse  and 
died  August  12,  1873.  His  widow  and  four 
out  of  a  family  of  five  children  survive  him. 
Their  names  are  John  D.,  Sarah  |.,  McCol- 
loni,  Tina  A.  and  George  A.  b^raternally, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and 
by  that  order  his  funeral  services  were  con- 
ducted. He  was  a  man  held  in  high  esteem 
by  all  who  knew  him,  respected  for  his  in- 
trinsic worth,  a  loving  father,  an  affectionate 
husband  and  a  loyal  citizen. 

John  D.  McClelland,  our  subject,  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Kingston  township, 
alternating  between  the  farm  and  the  school 
room  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He 
lived  at  home  until  about  1876,  when  he 
turned  his  attention  to  various  pursuits, 
which  he  followed  for  about  ten  years.  In 
1886  he  removed  to  De  Kalb,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business,  forming  a  part- 
nership with  George  Holmes,  whose  interest 
he  purchased  the  same  year.  Soon  after, 
however,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  M. 
Hanrahan  and  in  1888  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Hanrahan.  Later  he  and  his  brother  George 
purchased  the  interest  of  Orlando  Carter  in 
his    livery   business   on    Third  street,  where 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


;Sq 


thej"  continued  four  years  with  marked  suc- 
cess. .At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  pur- 
chased his  brothers  interest  and  continued 
the  business  alone  in  that  location  for  one 
year.  He  then  purchased  a  lot  on  Fourth 
street,  on  which  he  erected  suitable  barns 
to  accommodate  his  rapidly  increasing  busi- 
ness. 

On  the  7th  of  December,  1S94.  Mr.  Mc- 
Clelland was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mollie  Starks,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah 
Starks.  They  have  now  one  child.  Reed, 
born  December  11.  1S97.  Politically  Mr. 
McClelland  is  a  Republican  and  fraternally  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is 
an  excellent  judge  of  horses,  and  has  some 
of  the  finest  and  most  stylish  rigs  to  be 
found  in  the  city.  He  is  a  genial  and  court- 
eous gentleman,  who  always  endeavors  to 
please  and  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his 
business. 


WILLIAM  H.  KEENE.  who  resides  on 
section  4,  Victor  township,  but  who 
is  practically  living  a  retired  life,  came  to 
De  Kalb  county  in  the  spring  of  1S49.  He 
was  born  March  4.  1820,  in  Esperance. 
Schoharie  county.  New  York,  and  is  the 
son  of  Bartholomew  Keene,  a  native  of 
("lilderland.  New  York,  who  was  a  nail- 
maker  by  trade,  but  who  followed  the  occu- 
pation of  farming  for  a  short  time,  and  who 
for  a  period  of  eighteen  years  and  four 
months  kept  the  toll  bridge  across  the 
Schoharie  river  at  Esperance.  Bartholo- 
mew Keene  was  married  three  times,  his 
first  wife  living  but  a  short  time.  He  then 
married  Fanny  \'an  Schoover,  who  was  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  and  after  her  death 
he  married  Estl.er  Slingcrland.  Bartholo- 
mew   Keene    came   west    in    the   winter   of 


1S43,  coming  through  Canada  and  Chicago 
to  the  Fox  river  in  Kane  county.  There 
our  subject  rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  lived  until  the 
fall  of  1848.  He  is  the  only  survivor  of  a 
family  of  nine  children. 

In  his  native  state,  William  H.  Keene 
grew  to  manhood  and  on  the  17th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1848,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emily  Pulver.  a  native  of  Gilderland.  New 
York,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Katie 
Pulver.  Immediately  after  marriage,  he 
brought  his  bride  to  De  Kalb  county  and 
purchased  forty-six  acres  of  wild  land  in 
Victor  township,  and  also  a  claim  right  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  later 
entered.  He  now  has  a  valuable  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  which  he  has 
well  improved,  having  an  excellent  dwell- 
ing, two  large  barns,  various  other  out- 
buildings, and  is  surrounded  with  a  fine 
smooth  wire  fence,  and  well  drained. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keene  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Marcus,  deceased; 
Julia,  who  married  S.  L.  Brewer,  a 
farmer  living  in  Kansas,  is  now  deceased; 
Martha,  residing  at  home,  and  acting  as 
housekeeper  for  her  father;  George  M.,  a 
farmer,  who  married  Malinda  Merritt,  and  is 
living  in  \'ictor  township;  Nancy,  who  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Davis,  a  farmer  of  Victor 
township;  Lewis  Adelbert,  living  at  home 
and  operating  the  home  farm;  Laura,  who 
married  C.  Clifford,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
butcher  business  in  Leland:  and  Louis, 
who  is  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Keene  for  many  years  has  been  a 
raiser  of  shorthorn  cattle,  and  has  now  some 
of  the  finest  in  the  state.  He  is  also  en- 
gaged in  raising  Berkshire  hogs  and  Shrop- 
shire sheep.  He  generally  ships  his  own 
stock,  and  in    this   business   lias    been  quite 


290 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


successful.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  sei"\ed  his  township  in  various  local 
offices.  For  about  eight  years  he  served  as 
road  commissioner,  and  was  school  trustee 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  has  also  served 
as  supervisor  of  his  township,  and  during  one 
term  of  the  circuit  court  was  foreman  of  the 
grand  jury.  A  strong  temperance  man,  he 
ha.s  been  identified  with  the  Good  Templars 
for  some  years. 

After  a  happ\'  wedded  life  of  nearly  fifty 
years,  Mrs.  Keene  was  called  to  her  reward 
June  28,  1898.  She  was  a  woman  of  excel- 
lent character,  a  loving  wife  and  an  affec- 
tionate mother,  a  good  neighbor  and  a 
friend  to  all.  Her  death  was  sincerely 
mourned,  not  alone  by  the  family  but  by 
many  friends  in  De  Kalb  and  La  Salle  coun- 
ties. As  already  stated,  Mr.  Keene  is  living 
practically  a  retired  life.  He  has  done  his 
work  well,  aiding  in  developing  the  count\' 
and  state,  and  where  known  is  held  in  high 
esteem. 


CLARK  L.  BARBER,  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty and  a  man  well  known  throughout  its 
length  and  breadth.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Pike,  Wyoming  county.  New  York, 
June  29,  1 8 14.  His  parents,  Levi  C.  and 
Sallie  (Rood;  Barber,  were  natises  of  \'or- 
mont,  who,  as  pioneers,  settled  in  Pike 
township  in  1  8  i  i .  Levi  C.  Barber  bought 
land  of  the  Holland  Purchase  Companj' 
four  miles  east  of  Pike  Hollow,  but  in  the 
wilderness.  Here  he  erected  a  log  house, 
in  which  our  subject  was  born,  cleared  a 
farm  and  made  considerable  advancement 
toward  the  establishment  of  a  comfortable 
hurne,  but  in  February.  1835,  started  for 
the   Prairie    state   with    horses    and    sleigh. 


Arriving  in  De  Kalb  county,  he  took  a 
claim  on  section  15,  of  what  is  now  De 
Kalb  township.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  two  eldest  sons,  Lyman  and  Henry, 
who  also  took  claims,  and  afterwards  en- 
tered entered  the  land  when  the  Govern- 
ment had  surveyed  it  and  placed  it  on  the 
market.  This  was  their  home  until  the 
death  of  the  lather,  which  occurred  in  1859. 
He  was  a  stirring  man,  full  of  energy  and 
enterprise,  and  for  several  years  served  as 
sheriff  of  .Allegany  county.  New  York.  He 
was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  wife  his 
children  were  Lyman,  Harry,  Clark  L., 
Amelia,  Pollie  and  .Adelia.  The  first  four 
are  now  deceased.  .Amelia  is  the  wife  of 
Luman  Huntley,  of  Dixon,  Illinois.  His 
second  wife  was  Mrs.  Hannah  I-irownwell, 
by  whom  he  had  three  children,  .\delia  is 
the  wife  of  I-^ranklin  Burr,  of  I.,incoln,  Ne- 
braska, whose  son,  Charles  C,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Nebraska  state  senate.  W.  B. 
is  now  a  resident  of  De  Kalb.  Laura  E. , 
the  wife  of  Clark  Carter,  is  now  deceased. 
Clark  L.  I3arber,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  town, 
being  reared  to  farm  life.  In  1836,  accom- 
panied bj'  two  sisters,  he  started  to  meet 
their  father  in  the  prairie  state.  Leaving 
his  sisters  in  Chicago,  he  made  his  way  on 
foot  for  that  part  of  Kane  count}'  now  in- 
cluded in  De  Kalb,  where  he  met  the  fa- 
ther. He  first  made  a  claim  one  mile  north 
of  De  Kalb  on  what  is  now  called  Geneva 
lake,  but  he  abandoned  it  and  took  one  on 
section  15  and  18,  in  what  is  now  De  Kalb 
township.  Here  he  built  a  log  house,  ha\- 
ing  a  chimney  constructed  of  sticks  and 
mud,  making  the  roof  with  •■shakes,"  split 
from  oak  timber,  and  the  floor  of  pun- 
cheon. From  this  rude  beginning  he  im- 
proved the  place  to  its  present    hue    condi» 


C.    L.   BARBER. 


LIBRARY 

OF  TKE 

UNIV'^'^CirY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


293 


tion.  the  farm  containing  two  hundred  acres. 
In  1883  he  sold  his  original  farm  and  trav- 
eled extensive!}-  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 
In  Chase  count}',  Nebraska,  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  four  hundred  acres,  and  in  the  same 
year  he  bought  a  large  farm  in  Iroquois 
county,  Illinois. 

In  May,  1839,  Mr.  Barber  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mar\'  M.  Spring,  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  born  May  5,  1823,  and 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Lament  Spring. 
By  this  union  twelve  children  were  born, 
two  of  whom  are  now  living,  Mrs.  Jacob 
Crawford,  born  November  12,  1840;  and 
Mrs.  Newcombe  Crawford,  born  September 
6,   1846. 

Mr.  Barber  died  March  12,  1892.  He 
was  a  man  greatly  esteemed  and  filled  sev- 
eral offices  of  honor  and  trust  in  both  town- 
ship and  county.  For  six  \ears  he  was 
deputy  sheriff,  and  for  several  \ears  was 
assessor  of  De  Kalb  township.  He  was  a 
Mason  of  high  integrity  and  also  a  member 
of  the   Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


WALTER  M.  FORWARD,  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Forward  tv:  Mc- 
Guire,  plumbers  of  Sycamore,  was  born  at 
Brighton,  Ontario,  Canada,  September  30, 
1855.  His  father,  Reuben  H.  1-^orward, 
was  a  "native  of  W'atertown,  New  York, 
born  October  24,  1S23,  and  who  moved  to 
Canada  about  1845,  and  there  on  the  30th 
of  April,  1846,  married  Miss  Margaret 
Spencer,  a  native  of  Brighton,  Ontario,  born 
March  5,  1824,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard 
and  Pauline  (Kingsbury)  Spencer,  both  na- 
tives of  England.  Richard  Spencer's  mother 
was  a  Miss  Richards,  and  Pauline  Kings- 
bm-y's  mother  was  a  Miss  Otis.  Richard 
H.  and  Margaret  Forward  were  the  parents 


of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing: Imogene,  wife  of  Joseph  A.  Kemp,  of 
Colburn, Canada;  James  W.  and  Walter  M. 
The  father  died  in  1S57  in  Ohio  while  away 
from  home  on  a  business  trip.  The  mother 
died  in  Canada  December  2,  1897. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended 
school  in  Brighton  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  and  in  his  native  town  commenced 
learning  the  tinner's  trade.  In  the  latter 
part  of  August,  1872,  he  went  to  Beloit, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  finished  his  trade. 
On  the  6th  of  July,  1874,  he  went  to  Chica- 
go, in  time  to  see  the  great  July  fire,  and 
there  worked  in  a  shop  on  Madison  street 
until  November  of  the  same  year,  when  he 
came  to  Sycamore  and  worked  for  Captain 
Whittemore  until  August  of  the  following 
year.  Returning  to  Chicago,  he  remained 
until  .April,  1879,  with  the  exception  of  the 
summer  season  of  1877,  when  he  was  em- 
ployed at  South  Bend,  Indiana.  In  March, 
1879,  he  went  to  Rockford,  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  four  years  and  then  again  came 
to  Svcamore,  and  for  four  years  was  with 
Haight  Brothers.  He  began  business  for 
himself  in  fuly,  1887,  being  the  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Buell  iS:  Forward.  That 
partnership  continued  one  year,  when  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Haight  Brothers 
under  the  fir'n  name  of  W  M.  Forward  & 
Company,  that  partnership  existing  until 
1896.  Since  January.  1897,  he  has  been 
in  partnership  with  Francis  W.  McGuire, 
their  place  of  business  being  on  Maple 
street. 

Mr.  Forward  was  married  in  Sycamore, 
July  10,  1879,  to  Ida  M.  Rowley,  a  native 
of  Sycamore,  and  fifth  in  a  family  of  seven 
children  born  to  John  W.  and  Louisa  T. 
(Beebe)  Rowley.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Belvidere.    New    Jersey,    .August    11,    1822, 


294 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  came  to  De  Kalb  county  in  1844,  lo- 
cating at  Sycamore  where  he  engaged  in 
his  trade  of  carpenter  and  contractor.  He 
was  a  son  of  Louis  and  Phebe  (Wallace) 
Rowley,  the  former  a  native  of  Amsterdam, 
New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Scotland. 
Lewis  Rowley  died  in  1848  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  Louisa  F.  Beebe  was  a  na- 
tive of  Jefferson  connty.  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  Beebe,  who  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  and  who  married  Sarah  Clark, 
a  daughter  of  John  Clark,  whose  wife  was 
a  Miss  Calkins.  John  Beebe  was  a  son  of 
John  Beebe,  Sr. ,  who  married  a  Miss  Clark. 
John  Beebe  came  west  in  1844  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Shabbona  Grove. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  four  children 
have  been  born.  Edward  J.  died  at  the 
age  of  five  years.  Ferd  W. ,  Harry  and 
Ruth  all  yet  reside  at  home.  In  politics 
Mr.  Forward  is  a  Republican,  while  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  .Amer- 
ica, Knights  of  Pythias,  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees  and  Ivnightsof  the  Globe,  l^'or 
two  years  he  served  as  alderman  of  his 
ward,  and  in  every  relation  of  life  he  has 
shown  himself  an  enterprising  and  thorough- 
going business  man. 


DAVID  M.  GIBBS,  for  nearly  thirty 
years  a  successful  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Illinois,  but  now  living  a  re- 
tired life  in  the  village  of  Genoa,  was  born 
near  Cooperstown,  Otsego  county.  New 
York,  May  5,  1839.  His  father,  Alanson 
D.  Gibbs,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  Jan- 
uary 8,  1803,  and  moved  to  Otsego  county, 
New  York,  in  boyhood  and  there  grew  to 
manhood    and    married    Sophronia    Main,  a 


nati\e  of  the  state  of  New  York,  born  April 
20,  1809,  and  who  died  March  20,  1895. 
Her  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  was  in  the  battle  of  Sackett's  Harbor. 
From  New  York,  later  in  life,  Alanson  D. 
Gibbs  moved  with  his  family  to  Illinois  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Kingston  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  where  his  death  occurred  March  4, 
1885.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
on  account  of  its  free  soil  principles  he  be- 
came a  Republican  on  the  organization  of 
that  party.  .\lanson  D.  and  Sophronia 
Gibbs  were  the  parents  of  seven  children. 
Eustacia  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  S.  Brown,  of 
K.ingston,  Illiiiois.  Dewight  lives  in  Tope- 
ka,  Kansas.  Benjamin  S.  lives  in  Franklin 
township,  De  Kalb  count}'.  David  M.  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Parker  T.  is 
now  living  in  Boone  county,  Iowa.  Mercy, 
deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Ozias  A.  Sperry, 
now  of  Kansas.  Am  mi  is  a  carpenter  living 
in  the  village  of  Kingston,  De  Kalb  county. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  west 
with  his  parents,  reaching  Belvidere,  Illi- 
nois, May  18,  1845.  They  drove  through 
from  Cooperstown  to  Utica,  New  York,  and 
from  there  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  and  the 
lakes  to  Chicago.  From  the  latter  place 
they  came  by  team  to  Belvidere.  The  fam- 
ily lived  some  months  near  Belvidere,  when 
the  father  bought  one  hundred  and'  twenty 
acres  in  Kingston  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. David  M.  was  but  six  years  of  age  on 
his  arrival  in  De  Kalb  county,  and  until 
eighteen  years  of  age  attended  the  district 
school.  He  was  a  good  student  and  being 
large  for  his  age  secured  a  school,  and  from 
the  time  he  was  eighteen  for  some  years 
taught  school  during  the  winter  months  in 
De  Kalb  and  Boone  counties,  and  worked 
on  farms  during  the  sumuier  uiunths. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


295 


Mr.  Gibbs  was  married  January  i,  1861, 
in  Beividere,  Illinois,  to  Julia  .Ann  Slater, 
born  in  Bainbridge.  Chenango  county,  Ne\\ 
York.  June  6.  1842,  and  a  daughter  of  Jos- 
eph and  Sallie  (Silviusj  Slater.  The  latter 
was  born  near  Bethlehem,  Northampton 
countj-,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of 
Henr}'  Silvius.  who  married  a  Miss  Schriv- 
er.  Joseph  Slater  was  born  in  Vermont,  in 
181 1,  and  died  in  1847.  When  a  child,  he 
removed  from  Massachusetts  to  Washington 
county.  New  York,  and  later  moved  west- 
ward to  Chenango  county,  where  his  death 
occurred.  His  widow  later  married  U.  S. 
Hollembeak.  and  removed  with  him  to 
Boone  county,  Illinois,  in  1852.  where  the 
family  was  reared  and  principally  educated. 
Joseph  Slater  was  a  son  of  Israel  Slater, 
one  of  the  Green  Mountain  boys  that  were 
in  the  battle  of  Sackett's  Harbor.  By 
trade  Joseph  Slater  was  a  shoemaker,  but 
also  acquired  a  knowledge  of  several  hand- 
icrafts, being  an  expert  mill-wright.  It  was 
while  erecting  a  mill  in  Pennsylvania, that 
he  met  and  married  Sallie  Salvius.  His  sons 
were  also  ingenious,  and  of  an  inventive  turn 
of  mind  Oscar,  a  cooper  by  trade,  invent- 
ed and  manufactured  many  of  the  tools 
used  in  his  trade,  which  enabled  him  to  turn 
out  much  more  work  than  other  workmen. 
Jo.seph  and  Sallie  Slater  were  the  parents  of 
si.x  children.  Lydia.  deceased,  married 
William  Axtell  of  Hamilton,  Delaware  coun- 
ty. New  York,  .\lmon  died  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years.  Louisa  married  Seth  Blood, 
and  lives  at  Park  Rapids.  Iowa.  Oscar  is 
deceased.  Julia  .\.  is  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject.     One,  an  infant, died  unnamed. 

In  the  spring  following  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Gibbs  rented  a  farm,  and  for  three 
years  engaged  in  farming  during  the  spring 
and  summer  seasons,  and  in  winter  was  en- 


gaged in  teaching.  In  the  fall  of  1864,  he 
enlisted  at  Marengo,  Illinois,  in  the  Thir- 
tieth Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  joining  the 
regiment  in  time  to  be  with  Sherman  on  the 
march  to  the  sea,  and  in  the  grand  review 
at  Washington.  He  was  discharged  and 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  in 
July,  1865. 

Returning  home,  Mr.  Gibbs  continued 
farming  and  teaching  until  1867,  when  he 
and  his  wife  entered  the  State  Normal 
School,  at  Normal,  Illinois,  taking  a  three 
years'  course.  On  graduating  from  that  in- 
stitution, both  were  secured  to  teach  at 
Rosamond,  Christian  county,  Illinois,  and 
gave  such  excellent  satisfaction  to  an  intel- 
lectual and  discriminating  community,  that 
they  were  retained  seven  years  and  might 
have  remained  longer.  In  1S77  they  came 
to  Genoa  and  took  charge  of  the  schools, 
and  thoroughly  graded  the  same,  and  there 
remained  for  eight  years.  Patrons  were 
loth  to  lose  their  services,  but  constant  and 
conscientious  work  made  a  rest  necessary. 
For  two  years  Mr.  Gibbs  conducted  a  dairy 
farm,  on  a  tract  of  fifty  acres,  which  he  owns 
adjoining  the  village  of  Genoa,  after  which 
they  taught  two  years  in  the  Kirkland 
schools.  They  were  again  prevailed  upon 
to  accept  the  Genoa  schools,  but  after  three 
years  retired  permanently  from  the  profes- 
sion, which  they  had  adorned  for  more  than 
twenty  years.  They  have  a  loving  regard 
for  all  who  have  gone  out  from  under  their 
instruction,  most  of  their  graduates  now  fill- 
ing positions  of  honor  and  trust.  Among 
the  number  are  judges,  lawj-ers,  teachers, 
electricians,  bookkeepers,  bankers  and  man- 
agers of  various  institutions. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibbs  are  natural-born 
teachers,  both  beginning  at  an  early  age. 
Alter    their    marriage    they    taught    twenty 


296 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


years  together  in  the  same  school,  and  now 
retired  from  active  work  they  are  taking  hfe 
easy.  Both  are  fond  of  music  and  books, 
in  which  they  take  great  dehght.  They  own 
four  acres  in  the  village,  on  which  is  a  small 
fruit  garden  where  man}'  choice  varieties  of 
fruit  are  cultivated.  They  yet  retain  their 
dairy  farm  of  fifty  acres,  on  the  northern 
line  of  the  village,  which  is  occupied  by  a 
tenant.  They  are  both  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  Mr. 
Gibbs  is  a  local  preacher  of  marked  ability, 
often  supplying  vacant  pulpits.  Politically 
he  is  a  Prohibitionist,  though  often  voting 
the  Republican  ticket. 


CHARLES  H.  SALISBURY  is  the  con- 
fidential secretary  and  managing  ac- 
countant of  Jacob  Haish.  The  real  bene- 
factors of  our  race,  and  the  renowned  in 
history,  are  too  often  distinct  and  separate 
characters.  The  pen  of  the  historian  and 
biographer  loved  to  delineate  bold  and 
striking  features,  to  dwell  upon  startling  in- 
cidents born  of  the  passions  and  impulses 
of  men,  leaving  unchronicled  those  nobler 
deeds  that  spring  from  the  noblest  ele- 
ments of  true  human  greatness.  The  hero 
of  a  hundred  battlefields  may  furnish  vol- 
umes for  history,  and  his  eager  biographer 
gathers  the  material  and  erects  to  his  mem- 
ory a  pyramid,  while  noble  and  honorable 
men,  who  faithfully  and  well  perform  their 
duties,  often  fail  to  secure  a  conspicuous 
niche  in  the  temple  of  fame.  It  is  there- 
fore no  less  a  duty  than  a  privilege,  when 
one  has  honored  his  calling,  commanded 
the  esteem  and  admiration  of  his  friends 
and  the  respect  of  his  enemies,  to  pay  at 
least  some  tribute  of  respect  in  recording  a 
few  simple  facts. 


The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born 
at  Barton.  Vermont.  July  23,  1841,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Caroline  M.  (Butler^ 
Salisbury,  both  of  English  parentage.  In 
1856,  when  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  our  sub- 
ject removed  from  the  east  to  White  Rock, 
Ogle  county,  Illinois,  where  he  made  a  stay 
of  a  few  months,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  his 
time  being  spent  alternately  on  the  farm,  in 
the  store  and  in  the  school  room.  In  1859, 
he  completed  his  course  at  Professor 
Webb's  Academy,  but  subsequently  attended 
various  institutions  of  learning,  which  fitted 
him  for  a  larger  field  of  usefulness. 

When  Jacob  Haish  first  corr  menced 
business  in  De  Kalb  he  employed  Mr.  Salis- 
bury, who  remained  with  him  until  the 
winter  opening  of  school.  In  the  spring  of 
1 86 1,  he  was  appointed  assistant  postmaster 
under  Ira  V.  Randall,  and  served  until 
August  6,  1862,  when  his  nation's  call  was 
heard,  and  he  offered  his  services  to  his 
country.  On  that  date  he  was  enrolled  as 
a  member  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  immediately  appointed  first 
sergeant  of  his  company.  For  nearly  three 
years  he  served  his  country,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  fought  from  Chatta- 
nooga to  Atlanta,  and  was  in  the  celebrated 
march  to  the  sea  and  from  Savannah  to 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where  the  main 
bod\-  of  Sherman's  army  was  encamped 
when  peace  was  declared.  He  was  never 
absent  a  day  from  the  company,  except  on 
special  duty.  At  frequent  intervals  he  com- 
manded the  company  in  important  engage- 
ments, and  was  in  full  command  during  the 
march  to  the  sea,  and  through  the  Caro- 
lina?. For  meritorious  services,  he  was 
breveted    lieutenant.      He     was    honorably 


THE    BIOr.RAPHICAL   RECORD. 


discharged  at  Chicago,  lUinois,  June/,  1865, 
after  faithfully  serving  in  one  of  the  severest 
contests  known  to  history. 

On  receiving  his  discharge,  Mr.  Salis- 
bury returned  to  De  Kalb,  and  in  the  win- 
ter of  1865-6  he  engaged  with  Mr.  Haish, 
who  at  that  time  was  a  lumber  dealer,  con- 
tractor and  builder.  From  that  time  to  the 
present,  by  his  urbane  deportment,  his 
familiar,  yet  respectful  address  and  gentle- 
manly' courtesy,  he  has  proved  himself  an 
indispensable  factor  to  his  employer.  To 
his  tact,  practical  e.xperience  and  business 
capacity  ma\'  be  attributed  the  clock-work 
accuracy  with  which  the  Haish  Manufac- 
turing Company's  business  has  been  carried 
to  its  present  proportions.  During  the  long 
and  fiery  litigation  through  which  the  Haish 
Manufacturing  Company  passed  the  pen  and 
pencil  of  our  subject  were  frequently 
brought  into  requisition  for  advertising  pur- 
poses. In  the  draughting  of  cartoons  and 
in  his  readiness  to  dash  off  burlesque  poetry, 
he  has  had  few  superiors.  The  fight  be- 
tween the  different  barb  wire  manufacturers 
was  very  intense,  and  every  effort  was  made 
by  each  to  push  his  wire  to  the  front.  In 
one  of  his  advertisements  Mr.  Salisbury 
says  . 

•  Well,  perhaps  you  may  be  dreaming. 

Perhaps  yoirre  in  a  whirl  : 
Yet  somehow  Haish's  fence  is  winninic 

The  plaudits  of  the  world." 

Some  of  the  opponents  of  Mr.  Haish 
tried  to  have  a  little  fun  at  his  expense,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  he  was  a  "Dutch- 
man." In  reply  to  this  Mr.  Salisburs 
writes  : 

"  The  June  bug  has  gaudy  wings. 

The  lightning  bug  has  fame  ; 
The  '  Dutchman  "  has  no  wings  at  all 

But  he  gets  there  just  the  same." 

These  rhymes,  written  by  Mr.  Salisbury. 


which  were  often  accompanied  by  cartoons, 
created  great  interest  throughout  the  coun- 
try and  brought  the  Haish  barb  wire  into 
considerable  prominence.  Many- were  the 
conjectures  made  as  to  who  was  the  writer 
of  the  rhymes  and  the  draughtsman  of  the 
cartoons,  and  to  this  day  few  people  know 
who  was  the  author. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1876,  Mr.  Salisbury 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  M.. 
a  native  of  V'ermont,  and  a  daughter  of  Oli- 
ver and  Lamira  Wilder.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  Mason  and  has  attained  the  Knight 
Templar  degree. 

Probably  at  no  other  vocation  in  life  are 
the  sterling  qualities  of  character,  the  per- 
severance and  stability  of  purpose  and 
clearness  and  perception  of  mind  called  into 
requisition  than  the  one  which  Mr.  Salis- 
bury has  filled  and  is  now  filling.  At  an 
early  age  he  was  cast  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, but  with  willing  hands  and  active 
brain,  with  the  future  illumed  with  hope, 
and  undaunted  by  the  difficulties  which 
beset  every  young  man  on  the  threshold  of 
life,  he  resolved  upon  making  life  a  success. 
By  virtue  of  those  inherent  and  intrinsic 
qualities  which  are  in  his  nature  and  that 
are  wholly  incompatible  with  failure,  he  has 
gained  his  present  position  and  enjovs  the 
full  confidence  of  his  employer  and  the 
respect  of  his  fellowmen. 


X^/'ILLIAM  R.  MOON  is  a  well-known 
V  V  farmer,  residing  in  Franklin  township, 
on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres, 
which  is  always  kept  under  the  highest  state 
of  cultivation.  He  is  a  native  of  the  town- 
ship, born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides, December  26,  1852,  and  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  and    Ellen    Moon,  both   nati\es  of 


298 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


England,  and  the  parents  of  five  children. 
James,  John,  Ann,  Thomas  and  William. 
Our  subject  also  has  one  half  brother,  Ed- 
ward Gardner,  and  two  half  sisters,  Ellen 
and  Jane  Moon.  In  his  native  land  Thomas 
Moon  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  but,  to 
his  mind,  the  opportunities  for  advance- 
ment were  slim,  indeed.  The  possibilities 
of  the  new  world  were  open  before  him,  and 
he  felt  that  in  this  new  country  he  could  do 
better  for  himself  and  family,  and  therefore, 
in  i>S50,  set  sail  lor  New  York,  from  which 
place  he  came  direct  to  De  Kalb  count}  , 
Illinois,  and  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  government  land,  where  his 
son  now  lives.  He  at  once  went  to  work 
for  the  improvement  of  the  place,  and  in 
due  time  his  farm  was  such  as  to  compare 
favorably  with  those  of  his  neighbors  sur- 
rounding him.  He  ciintinued  to  work  faith- 
fully upon  that  farm  until  death  claimed 
him  at  the  age  of  tift\-eight  years. 

On  the  old  home  farm,  where  he  was 
born,  our  subject  grew  to  manhood,  and 
when  old  enough  to  follow  the  plow  or 
handle  the  hoe  he  was  given  his  task  of  farm 
labor.  In  the  neighborhood  schools  he  ob- 
tained his  education,  attending  principally 
in  the  winter  months  or  as  the  opportunity 
was  afforded  him.  On  the  29th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Lila  R.  Johnson,  a  native  of  De  Kalb 
county,  and  by  this  union  there  are  two  chil- 
dren, Lavun  and  Lula,  both  of  whom  are 
under  the  parental  roof  and  students  in 
the  public  schools.  In  politics  Mr.  Moon 
is  a  Republican,  with  which  party  he  has 
been  identified  since  attaining  his  majority. 
While  he  does  not  give  as  much  of  his  time 
to  the  party  as  some  others,  he  yet  has  at 
heart  its  best  interests,  believing  its  prin- 
ciples are  for   the  public   good.      For  some 


years  he  has  been  a  school  director,  and 
has  endeavored  to  discharge  its  duties  faith- 
fully. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Globe.  .\s  a  farmer  he  is 
practical,  yet  ever  ready  to  adopt  any  meas- 
ure that  will  tend  to  improve  his  place.  As 
a  citizen,  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem, 
and  has  many  friends  in  De  Kalb  and  ad- 
iiiining  counties. 


NATHAN  S.  RICHARDS  has  been  a 
resident  of  Sycamore  since  1855.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  Oneida 
county.  New  ^'ork,  September  18,  1828. 
He  is  of  Welch  parentage,  and  is  the  sou  of 
Richard  and  Alice  (Owens)  Richards,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Wales.  The  for- 
mer, who  was  born  about  1805,  came  to 
.America  with  his  parents  when  about  eight 
years  old.  His  entire  life  \Vas  spent  on  the 
farm,  and  his  death  occurred  in  New  York, 
in  1892.  His  father.  William  Richards, 
located  on  a  farm  in  New  York,  where  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  His  wife  came 
to  America  when  she  was  but  a  year  old. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
district  schools  as  the  opportunitj'  was 
afforded  him  until  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  seven- 
teen years  old,  when  he  went  to  \\'aterville. 
New  York,  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
and  there  remained  about  six  years.  In 
185  I  he  came  west,  and  located  in  Chicago, 
where  he  worked  one  j'ear,  going  from 
thence  to  Jackson,  Michigan,  where  for  some 
time  he  was  an  instructor  in  the  blacksmith 
shops  of  the  penitentiary  at  that  place.  He 
next  went  to  Aurora,  Illinois,  remained 
there  a  few  months,  and  then  went  to  Hunt- 
ley, McHenry  county,  and  was  there  for 
one    year.      In   1855    he  removed    to    Syca- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


i99 


more,  and  worked  about  eighteen  years  in 
his  first  shops,  located  near  where  his  pres- 
ent shop  stands.  He  built  his  present  large, 
three-story  shop  in  1872,  and  at  first  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  wagons,  bug- 
gies and  sleighs,  and  various  farm  imple- 
ments. In  later  years  factory  products  have 
displaced  shop  work,  so  that  most  of  histime 
is  now  spent  in  repair  work,  horseshoeing, 
etc. 

In  1854,  at  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  Mr. 
Richards  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ruth  Baxter,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Elihu  Ba.xter.  She  died  in 
1896,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  lea\- 
ing  three  children,  Mary,  Lydia  and  Charles. 
The  first  named  married  Elzy  Ferguson,  a 
farmer  of  Mayfield  township,  by  whom  she 
has  had  four  children,  three  yet  living. 
Lydia  married  Leonard  Pierce,  a  farmer  of 
Cortland  township,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren. Charles  is  a  good  practical  black- 
smith, having  his  forge  in  Mayfield  town- 
ship. Religioush',  Mr.  Richards  is  a  Con- 
gregationalist  and  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason  of  forty  years 
standing. 


FRANCIS  WILLIAM  McGUIRE,  junior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Forward  A. 
McGuire,  plumbers  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
in  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  August  i,  1861,  and 
is  second  in  a  family  of  seven  children  born 
to  Edwin  and  Johanna  (Kane)  McGuire. 
The  former  \{'as  born  in  Canada,  Januar\', 
1836,  and  is  now  engaged  in  business  in 
Rockford,  Illinois.  The  latter  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  1839,  and  came  to  America  with 
her  parents  in  1S45. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood  in    his  native  cit\-,   and   attcn<led   the 


grammar  and  high  schools  of  Beloit,  until 
the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when  he  com- 
menced learning  the  tinner's  trade  in  his 
father's  shop.  After  completing  his  trade 
he  remained  with  his  father  until  the  age  of 
twentj-three  years,  at  which  time  he  went 
to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  continued 
to  work  at  his  trade  for  four  years.  In 
1892,  hf  wt-nt  to  Rockford.  Illinois,  and 
there  remained  four  years,  coming  to  Syca- 
more in  i8ofi  and  working  at  journeyman 
work  from  .April,  i  S<j6.  till  January,  1897, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  M. 
Forward,  in  a  general  plumbing  and  tinning 
business,  sheet  metal  work.  etc. 

Mr.  McGuire  was  married  in  Beloit, 
\\'isconsin.  October  15,  18S7,  to  Miss 
Louise  Beimer,  a  native  of  New  Munster, 
Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of  Rudolph  and 
Christina  (Elfers)  Beimer,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Burgsteintord,  Gerrr.any. 
The  latter  died  in  1873.  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five  jears,  and  the  former  in  1881,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
McGuire  was  tenth  in  order  of  birth.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and  a  hard- 
working, honest  man.  To  our  subject  and 
wife  four  children  have  been  born — Jessie, 
Leslie,  Joseph  and  Clifton. 

In  politics  Mr.  McGuire  is  an  independ- 
ent Republican,  voting  the  party  ticket  on 
all  national  issues,  but  exercising  his  right 
to  vote  for  the  best  man  regardless  of  part\- 
in  local  issues.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  while  Mrs.  Mc- 
Guire is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
Globe.  Both  are  highly  esteemed,  and 
although  they  have  been  residents  of  Syca- 
more but  a  short  time,  they  have  made 
man\'  warm  friends. 


?oo 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


JOSEPH  F.  GLIDDEN.— Often  do  we 
J  hear  it  said  of  those  who  have  attained 
distinguished  honors  by  reason  of  a  well  spent 
and  successful  life  that  the)'  were  men  who 
rose  to  eminence  through  adventitious  cir- 
cumstances, and  yet  to  such  carping  criti- 
cism and  lack  of  appreciation  there  needs  be 
made  but  the  one  statement  that  fortunate 
environments  encompass  nearly  every  man 
at  some  stage  in  his  career,  but  the  strong 
man  and  the  successful  man  is  he  who  real- 
izes that  the  proper  moment  has  come,  that 
the  present  and  not  the  future  hohfs  his  op- 
portunity. The  man  who  makes  use  of  the 
Now  and  not  the  To  Be  is  the  one  who 
passes  on  the  high  way  of  life  others  who 
started  out  ahead  of  him  and  reaches  the 
goal  of  prosperity'  far  in  advance  of  them. 
It  is  this  qualit\'  in  Mr.  (iliJden  that  has 
made  him  a  leader  in  the  business  world 
and  won  hini  a  name  in  connection  with 
the  industrial  interests  of  the  country  that 
is  known  throughout  the  United  States. 

The  salient  points  in  his  life  history  are 
as  follows:  He  was  born  Januar}'  i8,  1813, 
in  Charleston,  Sullivan  county,  New  Hamp- 
shire, his  parents  being  David  and  Polly 
(Hurd)  Glidden,  also  natives  of  that  state. 
During  the  infancy  of  our  subject  they  re- 
moved to  a  farm  in  Orleans  count)',  New 
York,  where  they  remained  until  1844, ■when 
they  emigrated  westward.  After  a  short  resi- 
dence in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  they  came  to 
to  DeKalb  county,  spending  the  rest  of  their 
days  in  the  home  of  their  son,  Joseph  P.. 
who  rewarded  them  for  their  care  of  him  in 
bo)'hood  by  untiring  devotion  to  their  com- 
forts and  needs. 

On  the  home  farm  in  New  York  our  sub- 
ject was  reared  and  his  ample  training  in 
the  fields  through  the  summer  months  was 
supplemented    b\     mental    training     in   the 


school  room  limini;  tlie  winter  season.  He 
also  studied  algebra  and  the  classics  in  addi- 
tion to  the  common  English  branches,  hop- 
ing to  pursue  a  collegiate  course,  but  that 
plan  was  finally  abandoned.  He,  however, 
studied  for  a  time  in  Middlebury  Academy, 
in  Genesee  coimt)',  and  in  the  seminary  at 
Lima,  New  York.  After  teaching  school 
for  some  time  he  returned  to  farming  as  a 
more  congenial  occupation  and  operated 
rented  land.  He  had  no  mone)'  to  buy,  but 
he  knew  that  in  the  Mississippi  valle\'  there 
stretched  acre  after  acre  of  broad  prairie 
hitherto  uncultivated,  and  with  the  hcjpe  of 
securing  a  farm  of  his  own  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  the  fall  of  1842.  Leaving  the  Em- 
pire state  he  proceeded  to  Detroit  with  two 
threshing  machines  of  primitive  construc- 
tion and  spent  thirty  days  on  the  wheat 
farms  of  Michigan,  operating  his  threshers 
with  the  assistance  of  his  brother,  Willard, 
and  two  other  men.  He  subsequenti)' 
shipped  his  machines  to  Chicago  and  then 
to  De  Kalb  county,  where  he  followed 
threshing  two  years.  In  the  winter  after 
his  arrival  he  purchased  six  hundred  acres 
of  land  on  section  22,  De  Kalb  township,  a 
mile  west  of  the  village,  and  at  once  began 
to'  develop  and  imprtjve  it.  He  still  owns 
that  property  which  he  has  made  one  of  the 
finest  farms  in  Illinois,  its  boundaries  hav- 
ing been  extended  until  it  comprises  more 
than  eight  hundred  acres,  the  greater  part 
of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
while  substantial  buildings  and  other  mod- 
ern accessories  indicate  the  practical  and 
progressive  spirit  of  the  owner.  Other 
lands  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Glidden  as  his 
capital  has  increased  and  he  now  owns  over 
fifteen  hundred  acres,  wherefrom  he  derives 
a  good  income.  He  has  always  been  inter- 
ested ill  the  raisinp  of  fine  stork  and  in  con- 


J.  F.   GLIDDEN. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIV<^BSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


303 


nection  with  H.  B.  Sanborn  is  tiie  owner  of 
a  cattle  rancli  in  Texas,  where  the}'  are 
herding  about  sixteen  thousand  head  of  cat- 
tle. They  own  two  hundred  and  eighty 
sections  of  land,  covering  two  hundred  and 
eighty  square  miles  of  territory  and  requir- 
ing one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  fencing. 
This  has  now  been  turned  over  to  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Bush,  who  owns  one  hundred 
thousand  acres. 

But  it  is  in  connection  with  the  in\en- 
tion  of  barb  wire  that  Mr.  Glidden  is  best 
known  to  the  world.  His  name  in  that 
connection  is  widely  familar.  The  lack  of 
timber  in  Illinois  made  lumber  for  fencing 
verv  e.xpensive  and  how  to  obtain  fencing 
material  at  a  low  price  was  a  problem  which 
presented  itself  to  many  without  solution. 
Some  attempted  to  obviate  the  difficulty 
with  only  partial  success.  As  early  as 
1867  barb  wire  had  been  invented,  but  it 
was  imperfect  and  further  study  and  labor 
were  required  to  make  it  a  marketable  com- 
modity. Mr.  Glidden  was  a  practical 
agriculturist.  His  own  broad  acres  re- 
quired fencing  and  occasioned  his  study  of 
the  subject.  Careful  thought,  investigation 
and  experiment  followed, and  October,  1873, 
he  applied  for  a  patent,  which  was  granted 
the  next  spring.  He  did  not  here  end  his 
labors  but  continued  his  work  of  improve- 
ments and  tested  the  utility  of  his  invention 
by  the  use  of  his  fencing  on  his  own  farm. 
The  barbs  were  cut  by  hand  and  afterward 
the  parts  of  an  old  coffee  mill  were  ex- 
temporized as  a  machine  for  coiling  them 
about  the  wire.  When  a  piece  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  long  had  been  barbed,  a  smooth 
wire  was  placed  beside  it  and  one  pair  of 
ends  was  fastened  to  a  tree  and  the  other 
attached  to  the  axle  of  a  grindstone,  which 
by  turning  with  a  crank  gave  it  the  required 


twist.  Having  secured  his  patents  Mr. 
Glidden  entered  into  partnership  with  I.  I^. 
Ellwood,  a  hardware  merchant  of  De  Kalb 
and  a  practical  man  of  affairs,  who  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  business  manage- 
ment, operations  being  begun  under  the 
firm  name  of  Glidden  cS;  Ellwood.  There 
is  no  doubt,  however,  that  Mr.  Glid- 
den is  the  inventor  of  the  perfected  barb 
wire  now  in  use.  He  applied  for  his  patent 
in  1873,  his  claim  was  acknowledged  and  he 
secured  it.  He  sold  his  interest  in  1876, 
but  continued  to  draw  his  royalties  until 
1891.  He  has  been  the  inventor  of  all 
essential  features  of  barb  wire  machines  now 
in  use,  and  to  him  is  due  the  great  credit 
for  bringing  to  the  people  of  the  west  a 
cheap  and  serviceable  substitute  for  the 
stone,  rail  or  wooden  fences  once  in  use. 
As  time  passed  the  business  grew  and  was 
removed  from  the  farm  to  the  village,  where 
a  small  factory  was  established,  and  here 
the  improvement  was  made  of  using  horse 
power  to  do  the  twisting,  the  barbs  being 
slipped  on  to  one  end  of  the  wire  and 
then  placed  the  proper  distance  apart  by 
hand.  In  1875  the  company  built  the  first 
part  of  the  old  brick  shop,  put  in  a  small 
steam  engine,  which  was  made  to  do  the 
twisting,  and  Mr.  Gildden  and  T.  W. 
Vaughn  obtained  a  patent  for  some  devices 
for  barbing  and  spooling  that  proved  of 
efficient  aid  to  the  workmen. 

In  1876  Mr.  Glidden  sold  his  interest  in 
the  business  to  the  Washburn  &  Moen  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  of  Worcester,  Mass- 
achusetts, and  the  effectiveness  and  utility 
of  the  new  invention  having  been  fully  dem- 
onstrated the  business  increased  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity.  Mr.  Glidden  has  realized 
a  fortune  from  his  invention,  obtaining  a 
large  royalty  until    1891.      Business  cares. 


304 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


however,  he  has  never  laid  aside.  Indolence 
and  idleness  are  utterly  foreign  to  his  nature, 
and  he  still  devotes  many  hours  each  day  to 
the  superintendence  of  his  business  interests. 
He  is  the  owner  of  the  De  Kalb  Roller  Mills, 
has  been  vice-president  of  the  De  Kalb  Na- 
tional Bank  since  its  organization  in  1883, 
and  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Glidden  House, 
making  a  very  genial  and  popular  landlord. 
He  has  carried  forward  to  successful  com- 
pletion all  that  he  has  undertaken  in  the 
business  world.  His  business  methods  have 
ever  commended  him  to  the  confidence  of 
the  public,  for  he  never  swerves  from  the 
strict  path  of  honesty,  and  his  success  has 
been  won  along  the  lines  of  unflagging  in- 
dustry and  enterprise,  guided  by  sound  judg- 
ment and  careful  management.  His  rela- 
tion with  his  employees  had  ever  been  one 
of  friendly  interest,  and  he  is  quick  to  rec- 
ognize true  worth  in  a  man,  no  matter  how 
humble  his  station  in  life.  He  is  ever  will- 
ing to  aid  the  industrious  and  his  industries 
have  been  such  as  promote  the  public  pros- 
perit)'  as  well  as  advance  individual  success. 
His  deep  interest  in  public  affairs  and 
the  welfare  of  the  community  was  shown 
by  his  liberal  donation  of  si.xt^-four  acres  of 
land  to  the  normal  school,  provided  the  in- 
stitution was  located  in  De  Kalb.  This 
land  was  a  part  of  his  old  homestead  and 
had  been  entered  by  him  from  the  govern- 
ment when  Indians  still  crossed  it  with  their 
trails.  At  the  suggestion  of  Jacob  Haish, 
and  in  the  presence  of  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  citizens,  Mr.  Glidden  broke  the 
soil  with  a  lead  pencil  preparatory  to  build- 
ing, as  this  little  utensil  was  considered  em- 
blematic of  literature  and  education.  He 
has  always  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  and 
is  loyal  and  stanch  in  support  of  the  princi- 
ples of  his  party,  on  whose  ticket   he  was 


elected   county   sheriff    in    1852,    being    the 
last  Democratic  otHcial  of  the  countj'. 

Mr.  Glidden  has  been  twice  married. 
He  was  married  in  1837,  in  Clarendon,  New 
York,  to  Clarissa  Foster,  and  when  he 
started  westward  he  left  his  wife  and  two 
children  in  New  York,  but  both  of  the  latter 
died  before  Mrs.  Glidden  came  to  the  west. 
She  died  in  Ogle  county,  in  June,  1843,  and 
a  daughter  born  at  that  time  died  in  early 
infancy.  The  children  of  that  marriage 
were  \'irgil.  Homer  and  Clarissa.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1 85 1,  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  Mr. 
Glidden  wedded  Lucinda,  daughter  of  Hen- 
ry \\'arne,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Elva  Frances, wife  of  \\'.  H.Bush,a  merchant 
of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Glidden  died  in  1895. 
Mr.  Glidden  is  a  man  of  domestic  tastes  and 
his  home  has  ever  been  to  him  the  dearest 
spot  on  earth.  The  interests  of  his  wife 
and  daughter  were  alwa\'s  paramount  with 
him,  and  friendship  is  alvvaj's  inviolable.  In 
those  finer  traits  of  character  which  attract 
and  endear  man  to  man  in  ties  of  friendship, 
which  triumph  over  misfortune  and  shine 
brightest  in  the  hour  of  adversity,  in  these 
qualities  he  is  royally  endowed.  Few  men 
have  more  devoted  friends  than  he,  and 
none  excel  him  in  unselfish  devotion  and 
unswerving  fidelity  to  the  worthy  recipients 
of  his  confidence  and  friendship.  While  his 
invention  has  won  him  world-wide  fame, 
these  qualities  have  gained  him  the  respect 
and  warm  regard  of  all  whom  he  has  met 
personally  and  as  one  of  Illinois'  most  prom- 
inent and  worth}"  citizens  he  may  well  be 
numbered. 


GEORGE  H.    CLAPSADDLE,   residing 
on   section    24,  Paw  Paw  township,  is 
the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


30§ 


and  sixty  acres  and  is  numbered  among  the 
settlers  of  De  Kalb  county  of  1S49.  He 
was  born  in  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  in 
the  town  of  Frankfort,  March  17,  1821,  and 
is  the  son  of  George  A.  Clapsaddle,  also  a 
native  of  Herkimer  county,  born  March  31, 
1783,  and  the  grandson  of  Andrew  Clap- 
saddle,  of  German  parentage.  The  last 
named  grew  to  manhood  in  Herkimer  county 
and  there  reared  his  family.  His  son,  George 
A.,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  and 
there  grew  to  manhood,  and  in  the  second 
war  with  Great  Britain  served  his  country 
faithfully  and  well,  and  was  in  the  engage- 
ment at  Sackett's  Harbor.  He  was  married 
in  Herkimer  county  to  Nancy  Bellinger,  also 
a  native  of  Herkimer  county  and  a  daughter 
of  Esquire  Bellinger,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionarj-  war.  A  brother  of  Gecrge 
A.  Clapsaddle  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  I  Si  2  and  was  killed  in  battle. 

In  his  native  county  George  A.  Clapsad- 
dle was  engaged  in  farming,  and  there  reared 
his  family.  He  came  west  to  Illinois  in  later 
years  and  joined  his  children  here  and  with 
them  spent  his  declining  years,  dj-ing  De- 
cember 23,  1859.  His  remains  were  re- 
turned to  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  and 
laid  beside  those  of  his  wife,  who  died  there 
September  10,  1838.  They  had  a  family 
of  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, who  grew  to  mature  years.  Of  these 
George  H.  and  Frederick  are  the  only  sur- 
vivors. Elizabeth  married  Lucas  Terpen- 
ing,  and  rhey  were  early  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
county,  but  both  are  now  deceased.  Jacob 
came  west  and  settled  in  Du  Page  county, 
Illinois,  about  1842,  and  later  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  his  death  occurred.  Mary 
married  Jeremiah  Terpening  and  settled  in 
De  Kalb  county,  but  both  are  now  deceased. 
Peter  G.  never  came  west,  but  spent  his  en- 


tire life  in  Herkimer  count}'.  George  H.  is 
the  subject  of  this  review.  Andrew  came 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  1848  and  here  his 
death  occurred.  Frederick  also  settled  in 
De  Kalb  county  and  now  owns  a  farm  in 
Pasv  Paw  township.  Nanc\-  died  in  Paw 
Paw  township,  a  single  lady. 

George  H.  Clapsaddle  spent  his  boyhood 
and  jouth  in  his  native  countj',  where  he 
received  a  fair  common-school  education. 
In  his  youth  he  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  two 
years.  He  then  worked  at  his  trade  as  a 
journeyman  some  eight  or  ten  years,  usually, 
however,  working  on  the  canal  in  the  sum- 
mer and  at  his  trade  in  the  winter.  In 
1849  he  cair-.e  to  De  Kalb  county,  locating 
on  a  farm  where  he  now  resides,  land  which 
his  brother  Andrew  entered  the  year  pre- 
vious. Erecting  a  house  upon  the  place  he 
there  resided  with  his  brother  Andrew,  the 
two  keeping  "  bach  "  while  opening  up  their 
farms,  Andrew's  farm  being  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road. 

Mr.  Clapsaddle  returned  to  his  native 
state,  and  in  Erie  count}",  October  i,  1855, 
married  Miss  Clarissa  Snook,  a  native  of 
Madison  county.  New  York,  and  returning 
with  his  young  bride,  they  commenced  their 
domestic  life  on  the  farm  which  he  had 
already  opened  up.  After  a  period  of  forty 
years,  Mrs.  Clapsaddle  was  called  to  her  re- 
ward, dying  October  26,  1885,  and  her  re- 
mains were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Victor  ceme- 
tery. She  was  the  mother  of  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  deceased,  two  dying  in 
infancy  and  one,  \'iola.L.,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years.  The  living  are  Leila  M.,  at 
home,  and  .Alva  A.,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Paw  Paw  township.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Earlville,  La  Salle  county,  February 
18,  1897,  to  Hannah  M.  Anderson,  a  native 


3o6 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  La  Salle  county,  born  and  reared  in  Le- 
land,  and  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Eliza 
Anderson.  They  have  now  one  daughter, 
Leila  Louise. 

Politically  Mr.  Clapsaddle  is  a  Jackson- 
ian  Democrat,  and  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  James  K.  Polk  in  1844.  His  son 
also  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  The  only 
office  that  Mr.  Clapsaddle  has  held  has  been 
that  of  school  director,  as  his  tastes  has 
never  run  in  the  direction  of  office  holding. 
In  the  forty-nine  years  in  which  he  has  re- 
sided here  he  has  made  many  friends  who 
esteemed  him  for  his  steiling  worth. 


N.\THANIEL  G.  TRUBY,  the  leading 
harnessmaker  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
in  North  Lima,  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
January  13,  1851.  His  father,  Joseph  Tru- 
by,  was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, July  26,  1820.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  natural  ability,  self-educated  in  Latin 
and  Greek,  and  for  seventeen  years  was  a 
minister  in  the  Evangelical  Association.  He 
began  preaching  at  the  age  of  nineteen  while 
clerking  in  his  cousin's  store,  in  Clarion 
county,  Pennsylvania,  filling  local  pulpits 
on  Sundays.  His  first  regular  station  was 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  one 
year,  going  from  thence  to  Mercer  count}', 
Pennsylvania,  being  in  the  Erie  circuit  for 
two  years,  and  then  in  the  Harmony  circuit. 
Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  for  two  years. 
His  health  failing  him,  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  circuit, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  during  which 
time  our  subject  was  born.  He  then  re- 
turned to  the  Erie  circuit  for  two  years, 
then  again  in  the  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
circuit  one  year,  and  then  to  Allegheny 
City,    Pennsylvania,    for    two    3'ears.       His 


health  failing  rapidly,  he  retired  from  active 
ser\ice,  went  to  \'enango  county  to  the 
home  of  his  wife's  parents  to  recuperate, 
and  there  died,  April  25,  1856.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Hannah  King,  born  in  Northum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  June  25, 
1825,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  King,  a 
carpenter  and  builder  of  Venango  county, 
Pennsylvania,  who  came  from  Schuylkill 
county,  where  he  was  born,  August  20, 
1792.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  settled 
in  Venango  county  and  died  there  at  the 
age  of  fifty-eight  years.  He  married  Bar- 
bara Gilger,  born  August  30,  1798,  in  North- 
umberland county,  Pennsylvania,  and  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

Rev.  Joseph  Truby  was  the  son  of 
Phillip  Truby,  who  was  born  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  who,  after  his 
marriage,  moved  lo  Grant,  Starke  county, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and 
died  at  the  residence  of  his  son  in  Elkhart, 
Indiana,  when  more  than  seventy  years  of 
age.  Alter  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Joseph  Truby  married  Abraham  Niebel,  now 
a  resident  of  Sycamore,  Illinois.  To  our 
subject's  parents  four  children  were  born, 
two  of  whom  are  living,  Samuel,  in  Maple 
Park,  Illinois,  and  Nathaniel  G.,  our  sub- 
ject. 

The  earh'  years  of  our  subject  were 
spent  in  the  various  towns  in  which  his  fa- 
ther was  stationed.  After  the  latter's  death 
he  lived  in  Venango  county  for  some  3'ears, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  for 
eight  years.  After  the  removal  of  his 
mother  to  Forreston,  Illinois,  he  attended 
the  public  schools  for  one  j'ear.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  har- 
nessmaker and  was  engaged  in  that  business 
for  three  years  in  Forreston,  Illinois.  From 
there  he  went  to  Davis,  Stephenson  county, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


307 


Illinois,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman 
one  year,  and  then  purchased  a  shop  and 
business,  which  he  continued  for  one  \■e^T. 
then  sold,  and  for  another  year  clerked  in 
a  store  in  Davis. 

It  is  seldom  a  man  quits  a  trade  to  pur- 
sue a  course  of  stud\',  but  our  subject  in- 
herited his  father's  love  for  learning,  and 
went  to  Mt.  Union,  Ohio,  College,  where 
he  took  a  two  years  course,  graduating  in 
the  commercial  department.  He  then  went 
to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
employed  as  bookkeeper  in  a  grocery  store, 
and  then  for  one  yea.T  was  with  the  Pitts- 
burg Chain  and  Car  Link  Company.  He 
then  went  into  the  oil  business  at  Bradford, 
Pennsylvania,     where    he    remained    until 

1 88 1,  becoming  an  e.xpert  in  the  business. 
By  reason  of  his  knowledge  of  the  business 
he  was  called  to  Russia,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged as  an  oil  expert  for  three  years  in 
the  Caucasus,  on  the  coast  of  the  Black  Sea, 
for  a  French  corporation.  He  prospected 
into  Turkish  Asia,  located  wells,  installed 
complete  plants,  built  pipe  lines,  and  insti- 
tuted telegraph  and  telephone  service,  and 
also  put  in  electrical  appliances.  The 
companj"  was  on  a  grand  scale,  with  high 
salaried  officers  and  twentj-  office  men  to 
do  the  work  which  one  man  could  well 
have  done.  The  company  failing,  our  sub- 
ject came  home  in  the  winter  of  1885.  and 
in  1886  located  in  S3'camore.  being  in- 
fluenced by  the  brother  in  Maple  Park  to 
locate  here. 

Mr.    Trub}-    was    married    October    10, 

1882.  in  Emlenton,  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss 
Estella  Dreibelbis,  born  in  Emlenton,  and 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Ellen  (^Hildeman) 
Dreibelbis.  By  this  union  there  was  one 
daughter,  Ethel.  Mrs.  Truby  died  May  3, 
1887,  and  in  Sycamore,  December  7,  1892, 


Mr.  Truby  married  Mrs.  Amanda  B.  Dean, 
widow  of  Charles  A.  Dean  and  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Sarah  Brown.  His  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  frater- 
nally a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  Knights  of  the  Globe. 


WARREX  DECKER,  of  South  Grove 
township,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war.  He  was  born  in  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  August  21,  1S39.  and  is  the  son  of 
Jaines  A.  and  Margaret  (X'anderhoof)  Deck- 
er, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New  Jer- 
sey and  who  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, si.K  of  whom  are  deceased.  The 
living  are  William,  Warren,  Charles  W. 
and  Idella.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Aaron  Decker,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  De  Kalb  county 
in  1844.  locating  in  South  Grove  township 
where  James  A.  Decker,  the  father,  ac- 
quired over  five  hundred  acres  of  good 
land.  He  became  quite  a  prominent  man 
in  the  township,  and  served  as  supervisor, 
assessor,  road  commissioner  and  school 
director.  He  was  a  very  successful  farmer. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years. 

On  the  farm  in  South  Grove  township 
our  subject  grew  to  manhood,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  district  school  while 
helping  »vith  the  farm  work.  In  South 
Grove  township,  August  8,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  to  serve  three 
years  or  during  the  war.  With  his  regi- 
ment he  participated  in  the  various  cam- 
paigns and  battles  under  Sherman,  and  was 
in  the  march  to  the  sea,  and  later  in  the 
grand  review  at  Washington,   at  the  close 


3o8 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  the  war.      He  was   discharged  at  Wash- 
ton,  D.    C.  June  i6,  1865. 

After  receiving  his  discharge,  Mr.  Decker 
returned  to  his  home  in  De  Kaib  count}' 
and  resumed  his  labors  upon  the  farm. 
Previous  to  his  entering  the  service,  how- 
ever, on  the  iith  of  June,  1862,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Harriet  Da- 
venport, a  nr.tive  of  New  York  state  and  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  >f.  and  Margaret 
(Hammond)  Davenport,  both  natives  of  Jef- 
ferson county.  New  York,  and  who  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom 
are  deceased.  The  living  are  Caroline, 
Elizabeth,  Adeiaine,  Harriet,  Nellie  and 
Olive.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Decker  seven 
children  have  been  born,  of  whom  Alma  is 
deceased.  The  living  are:  James,  Ella, 
Benjamin.  Mertie,  Jennie  and  Delos. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Decker  is  a  member  of 
General  Hurlbut  Post,  No.  380,  G.  A.  R., 
and  politically  is  a  stanch  Republican.  His 
fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
is  kept  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
Mr.  Decker  is  well  known  and  universally 
respected. 


GURDEN  C.  ROWEN  is  a  farmer  re- 
siding near  the  village  of  Genoa,  where 
he  has  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  choice  land.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Batavia,  Genesee  county,  New 
York,  August  5,  1837.  His  father,  William 
H.  Rowen,  was  born  in  Washington  coun- 
ty. New  York,  December  3,  1799,  and  died 
April  4,  1880.  He  was  twice  married,  his 
first  union  being  with  Betsy  Gorham,  who 
was  born  May  17,  1801,  and  died  February 
23,  1856.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine 
children,  as  follows:  Stephen  G.,  of  Frank- 
lin   township;   James,    deceased;    Boyd,  de- 


ceased; ^^'arren,  deceased;  Theron,  residing 
in  Kirkland,  Illinois;  John  C,  living  in  Col- 
orado; Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Henry  Grout,  of 
Kirkland;  Gurden  C,  our  subject;  and 
Perry,  deceased.  His  second  union  was 
with  Maria  Caswell,  who  bore  him  two  chil- 
dren: William,  residing  in  Oregon,  Illinois, 
and  Samuel  G.,  of  Kirkland,  Illinois.  In 
politics  William  H.  Rowen  was  originally  a 
Whig,  but  later  in  life  a  Republican.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 
His  father  was  James  Rowen,  who  came  to 
Illinois  in  1843,  and  died  in  Franklin  town- 
ship at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 

Gurden  C".  Rowen  came  west  with  his 
parents  in  September,  1842.  They  drove 
through  from  New  York  to  Chicago,  and 
from  there  went  to  Racine  and  on  to  Janes- 
ville,  Wisconsin,  where  they  wintered.  In 
June,  1846,  they  came  to  Franklin  town- 
ship, De  Kaib  county,  and  there  made  per- 
manent settlement.  In  the  district  schools 
of  that  township  our  subject  obtained  his 
education,  attending  principally  dilring  the 
winter  months,  and  assisting  in  farm  work 
the  repiainder  of  the  year. 

In  February,  i860,  with  four  brothers, 
Mr.  Rowen  started  overland  to  Pike's  Peak, 
and  was  two  months  on  the  way.  A  few 
months  experience  was  all  that  he  desired, 
and  he  returned  home  in  September  of  the 
same  year.  He  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  until  the  fall  of  1863,  and  then 
went  to  Nebraska  with  a  view  of  locating, 
but  made  no  permanent  settlement.  In 
1868  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  lying  in  Boone  and  McHenry 
counties,  and  there  built  a  barn  and  made 
many  other  improvements.  While  he  cul- 
tivated the  place,  he  did  not  take  up 
his  residence  there  until  some  years 
later.      He  was  united  in  marriage  in  Spring 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


309 


township,  Boone  countj',  Illinois,  October 
9,  1873.  with  Miss  Gertrude  C.  Randolph, 
a  native  of  that  township,  and  a  daughter 
of  Edmund  F.  Randolph,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  on  Boone's  Prairie.  It  was  on  his 
farm  that  the  first  reaper,  an  old  McCor- 
inick,  was  operated  in  Boone  county.  Mr. 
Randolph  was  born  in  Crawford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  near  Mead vi lie,  December 
8,  1808,  and  died  November  19,  1S7S,  in 
Boone  county,  Illinois.  He  was  the  son  of 
Edward  F.  Randolph,  who  died  December 
30,  1867,  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight  years, 
and  who  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
had  a  very  strong  constit':tion  and  was  hale 
and  hearty  in  extreme  old  age.  Edmund 
F.  Randolph  married  Mary  T.  Hoffman, 
born  in  Beaver  Creek  township,  Washing- 
ton county,  Maryland,  September  26,  18 19, 
of  German  parents.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children,  Anna  E..  John  F., 
Julia  A.,  \\'illiam  F.,  Gertrude  C. ,  Edmund 
J.,  Eugenie  F.  and  Cla\ton  F. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Rovven  moved  to  his  farm,  and  there  re- 
sided until  1S80,  when  he  moved  to  Genoa 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  has 
here  since  continued  to  reside.  He  first 
purchased  thirty  acres  of  land,  where  his 
house  now  stands,  to  which  he  has  since 
added  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In 
addition  to  general  farming,  he  is  engaged 
in  dairying,  keeping  about  twenty  cows, 
and  selling  the  product  to  the  creamery. 
Since  locating  he  has  rebuilt  the  house  and 
barns  and  made  many  substantial  improve- 
ments. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowen  three  children 
have  been  born,  Floyd  R..  and  Forrest  H., 
who  was  drowned  in  1892,  and  Marjorie 
M.,  who  is  yet  at  home.  In  politics  Mr. 
Rowen  is  a  Prohibitionist.      He  has  held  the 


position  of  school  director,  because  of  his 
interest  in  public  schools.  He  is  a  man  of 
good  business  ability  and  is  one  of  the  direct- 
ors in  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Com- 
pany. 


WILLIAM  GOFF  is  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  the  village  of  Kirkland. 
It  is  said  to  be  a  good  thing  to  be  well  born, 
and  it  can  certainly  be  said  of  Mr.  Goff  that 
he  was  well  born,  being  descendants  of 
Revolutionar}'  heroes,  on  both  paternal  and 
maternal  sides.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine, 
)orn  December  8,  1822,  and  is  the  son  of 
Edward  and  Hannah  (Dill)  Goff,  both  of 
whom  were  also  natives  of  the  Pine  Tree 
state.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren—  John,  Cyrus,  Edward,  Jr.,  William, 
Joel,  Stephen,  James,  May  and  .\iin.  Of 
the  nutnber  all  are. deceased  with  the  e.xcep- 
tion  of  our  subject.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Bartlett  Goff,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, who  emigrated  to  this  country  prior 
to  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  sympathies 
were  upon  the  side  of  the  Colonists  in  their 
struggle  for  independence,  and  that  sym- 
pathy was  manifested  by  years  of  service  in 
the  war.  Long  after  independence  was  de- 
clared and  the  United  States  became  a  free 
and  independent  nation,  he  was  granted  a 
pension  for  his  services,  which  was  contin- 
ued during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

William  Goff  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
home  farm  in  Maine,  and  there  received  a 
limited  education  in  the  schools  of  that 
early  day.  In  his  youth  he  went  into  the 
lumber  camps,  and  was  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing and  coasting  in  his  native  state  until  he 
was  twenty-three  years  of  age.  News  of 
the  boundless  opportunities  afforded  the  en- 
terjirising  man  on  the  broad  prairies  of  Illi- 


3IO 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


nois,  had  penetrated  the  forests  of  Maine, 
and  he  here  determined  to  try  his  fortune. 
In  the  spring  of  1846,  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  and  commenced  work  as  a  day  la- 
borer, continuing  to  be  thus  employed  for 
some  time.  On  the  15th  of  April,  1848,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Philanca 
R.  Sargent,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Churchill) 
Sargent,  both  natives  of  the  Green  Mount- 
ain state,  who  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children — .Mmond,  Leonard,  Azuba,  Phil- 
anca, Caroline,  Alonzo  and  Calvin.  The 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Goff  was  Timothy  Sar- 
gent, a  native  of  Vermont,  who  came  to 
De  Kalb  county,  in  an  early  day,  and  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  land.  He  here  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  eight  children 
were  born,  five  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Those  living  are  William  A.,  Belle  V.  and 
Vilora  A.  In  1897,  Mr.  Goff  sold  his  farm, 
erected  a  nice  residence  in  Kirkland,  and  is 
now  living  a  retired  life.  In  politics  he  is 
an  ardent  Republican,  and  has  served  as 
road  commissioner  and  constable  of  Frank- 
lin township.  He  is  a  highly-honored  citi- 
zen of  the  township,  and  his  friends  are  nu- 
merous throughout  the  county. 


CAPTAIN  JAMES  N.  SHAFTER,  the 
present  efficient  sheriff  of  De  Kalb 
county,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He 
was  born  in  Galesburg,  Michigan,  July  7, 
1 84 1,  and  is  the  son  of  Hugh  M.  Shafter, 
born  in  Townsend,  \'ermont,  in  18 14,  and 
the  grandson  of  William  Rufus  Shafter,  also 
a  native  of  Vermont,  who  spent  his  entire 
life  in  his  native  state,  and  during  his  active 
business  career  engaged  in  merchandising. 
He  was  three  times   married,  his  lirst   and 


second  wife  being  sisters.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1863  at  a  verj'  advanced  age. 

Hugh  M.  Shafter  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  state,  and  married  Eliza  Sumner, 
also  a  native  of  Townsend,  Vermont,  and 
a  daughter  of  Mathias  Sumner,  a  farmer 
and  cabinet  maker  who  married  Sarah 
Barry,  also  of  the  Green  Mountain  state. 
In  1833  he  came  west  and  settled  near 
Galesburg,  Michigan,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  and 
there  resided  until  his  death.  Hugh  M.  and 
Eliza  Shafter  became  the  parents  of  five 
children:  ^^'illiam  Rufus,  the  famous  com- 
mander of  the  Cuban  army  of  invasion, 
whose  name  has  been  immortalized  by  the 
heroic  deeds  of  himself  and  men  in  the 
siege  and  capture  of  Santiago.  Eliza  Ann, 
who  is  now  deceased,  married  Job  H.  Aid- 
rich,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Nash- 
\ille  in  the  Civil  war.  James  X.  and  John, 
twins,  the  former  being  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  while  the  latter  is  now  customs  agent 
for  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad,  at  Eagle 
Pass,  Te.xas.  Payne  died  at  the  age  of  si.\ 
weeks. 

James  N.  Shafter  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  county  and  state  and  there  made 
his  home  until  1879.  He  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  till  the  age  of  twenty,  in  the 
meantime  assisting  his  father  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  farm.  In  1864,  at  Galesburg, 
Michigan,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Helen  Foote,  a  native  of  Galesburg, 
Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  Milo  Foote, 
who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that 
place.  Two  children  came  to  bless  this 
union,  Mollie  and  Jessie.  The  former  mar- 
ried Harry  Courtwright,  of  Downers  Grove, 
Du  Page  county,  Illinois,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Harry.  The  latter  daughter  is 
the  wife  of  James  Tooley,  of  San  Francisco, 


CAPT.  JAMES  N.   SHAFTER. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


California,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Grace. 

Shortl)'  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Shafter 
was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany B,  Seventeenth  United  States  Colored 
Infantry,  later  being  promoted  to  rank  of 
captain  of  Company  E,  same  regiment, 
with  which  company  and  regiment  he 
served  until  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  April  25.  1S66.  The 
regiment  was  organised  at  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, and  was  intended  as  an  experiment 
to  see  if  colored  troops  would  act  well  in 
battle  and  what  sort  of  soldiers  could  be 
made  of  them.  They  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Nashville  and  showed  by  their 
actions  that  they  could  be  trusted  under  fire 
of  the  enemy. 

After  being  mustered  out  of  service 
Captain  Shafter  returned  to  his  old  home, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old 
homestead  until  1S79.  He  then  went  to 
Iowa,  and  spent  some  si.x  or  seven  months 
looking  up  a  location.  Not  finding  any- 
thing to  suit  him,  in  18S0  he  came  to  Sand- 
wich, De  Kalb  countj',  Illinois,  and  was 
soon  afterwards  made  city  marshal,  in  which 
position  he  served  four  years.  He  then 
became  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  Sand- 
wich Manufacturing  Compan\',  and  was  in 
the  employ  of  that  company  until  1894, 
when  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  De  Kalb 
count)',  which  office  he  has  filled  to  the 
eminent  satisfaction  of  his  constituents, 
which  is  evidenced  by  their  nominating  him 
for  the  office  of  county  treasurer  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1898,  to  which  office  he  will  doubt- 
less be  elected. 

Captain  Shafter's  second  marriage  was 
in  Sandwich,  in  1S75,  when  he  wedded 
Nancy,  widow  of  Alexander  Edinburn,  and 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Rachel  Haymond. 


They  resided  in  Sandwich  from  1880  until 
the  election  of  the  Captain  as  sheriff  of  the 
county  in  1894,  when  they  removed  to  Syca- 
more, where  they  yet  reside. 

In  politics  Captain  Shafter  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  fraternally  is  a  Mason,  a 
member  of  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and 
commandery  in  Sycamore.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  of  the  Grand  Arm\-  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  a  well  known  sportsman, 
and  is  fond  of  trap  or  live  bird  shooting.  It 
is  said  that  he  will  travel  farther  to  partici 
pate  in  a  match,  and  will  get  more  enjoy- 
ment out  of  it,  than  probably  any  other 
man  in  De  Kalb  county.  He  is  the  posses- 
sor of  many  trophies  that  he  has  won  by 
his  skill  as  a  marksman. 

While  a  citizen  of  the  county  compara- 
tively a  short  time.  Captain  Shafter  is  well 
known  and  his  friends  are  legion.  A  thor- 
ough patriot,  he  has  shown  his  devotion  to 
his  country  by  imperiling  his  life  upon  the 
field  of  battle,  and.  while  now  in  civil  life, 
the  honor  and  integrity  of  his  country  is  as 
dear  to  his  heart  as  in  the  days  of  the  Civil 
war,  when  the  brightest  and  best  of  our 
country  went  out  in  their  youth  and  in  the 
prime  of  life  that  the  Union  might  be  saved. 
As  a  citizen  he  stands  ready  to  do  his  dut)' 
in  whatever  position  he  may  ba  called  to 
fill.  In  the  office  of  sheriff  of  the  county 
he  carefully  guarded  the  interests  of  the 
people  against  the  criminal  class,  and  in  the 
treasurer's  office  he  will  show  the  same 
watchful  care  in  safely  keeping  the  trust 
committed  to  his  hands. 


EDWIN  TOWNSEND,    who  resides    on 
section     14,    Mayfield    township,    is    a 
native  of  De  Kalb  county,  born  on  the  farm 


314 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


where  he  now  resides  November  ii,  1838. 
His  father,  Charles  Townsend,  was  born  in 
Schoharie  county,  New  York,  of  which 
county  the  grandfather,  Joshua  Townsend, 
was  an  early  settler.  The  latter  was  a 
member  of  an  artillery  company  during  the 
war  of  1 81 2,  but  was  never  in  active  serv- 
ice. From  Schoharie  county  he  moved  to 
Sullivan  county.  New  York,  at  an  early 
day,  where  he  cleared  a  tract  of  land  and 
opened  up  a  farm.  Charles  Townsend 
there  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Phebe 
Nichols,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Mercy 
Nichols,  natives  of  Connecticut.  In  18^6 
Joshua  Townsend  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  purchased  a  claim  and  returned  to 
Sullivan  countj'.  New  York,  but  four  years 
later  again  came  to  De  Kalb  count\-,  mak- 
ing his  home  with  his  sons.  In  1837 
Charles  Townsend  came  through  with  a 
wagon  and  was  six  weeks  on  the  road.  He 
located  on  a  portion  of  the  claim  purchased 
by  his  father,  and  in  company  with  his 
father  and  brother  Stephen  opened  up  and 
developed  the  farm,  all  working  together 
for  several  years,  after  which  they  divided 
the  claim.  Charles  Townsend  kept  the 
place  where  our  subject  now  resides,  owning 
a  little  more  than  two  hundred  acres.  He 
remained  on  the  farm  and  continued  its 
improvement  until  his  death,  about  1880. 
His  wife  survived  him  about  one  year,  dying 
in  1 88 1,  and  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Mayfield  cemetery.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  mature 
years,  except  two,  and  all  born  on  the  farm 
in  Mayfield  township,  with  the  exception  of 
Mary  Ann,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan  countv. 
New  York.  She  grew  to  womanhood  and 
married  Oscar  Schmaldt,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased. Edwin,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was   next   in   order   of   birth.      Francis  is  a 


farmer  residing  in  Butler  county,  Iowa. 
Clarissa  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Osborn,  a 
farmer  of  Mayfield  township.  Erastus  re- 
sides in  Hutchinson,  Minnesota.  Harrison 
is  a  farm.er  residing  in  Perry,  Iowa.  Caro- 
line is  the  wife  of  S.  G.  Smith,  a  farmer  of 
Mayfield  township.  Charles  M.  is  a  farmer 
residing  in  Bremer  county,  Iowa. 

Edwin  Townsend  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  old  home  farm  and  remained  with  his 
father  until  he  attained  his  majority.  His 
education  was  attained  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  township,  supplemented  by 
two  winter  terms  in  a  select  school  at  Syca- 
more. After  attaining  his  majority  he 
worked  one  summer  for  a  cousin  on  his  farm 
and  then  took  possession  of  a  portion  of  the 
farm  he  now  owns.  In  March,  1865.  he 
enlisted  in  the  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry,  join- 
ing his  regiment  in  the  east  part  of  Missis- 
sippi and  continued  with  it  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  scouting  in  Mississippi  and 
Alabama  and  doing  guard  duty.  He  was 
discharged  at  Selma,  Alabama,  in  Novem- 
ber,  1865. 

Returning  home  Mr.  Townsend  resumed 
farming,  and  on  the  20th  of  January,  1867, 
at  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Lorinda  M.  French,  a  na- 
tive of  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  born  in 
S3'camore,  and  a  daughter  of  Sumner 
French,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb 
county,  locating  in  Sycamore  in  1835. 
About  1862,  Mr.  Townsend  had  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm,  and  after 
his  marriage,  thej'  commenced  their  domes- 
tic life  on  that  place,  and  there  continued 
to  reside  until  1880.  After  the  father's 
death,  he  purchased  the  old  homestead, 
comprising  one  hundred  and  forty-two  acres, 
and  now  has  a  valuable  faim  of  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two   acres,  all  of  which  is 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


315 


under  cultivation  and  well  improved  in 
every  respect. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Townsend  are  the  parents 
of  seven  children:  Charles  S.  is  married 
and  en<;aged  in  farming  in  Ma\  field  town- 
ship. Orisa  S.  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Bick- 
ford,  of  Kewanee.  Illinois.  Leona  yet  re- 
sides at  home,  as  also  Olive,  Nellie,  George 
and  Glen. 

Politicall}"  Mr.  Townsend  is  a  Repub- 
lican, with  which  party  he  has  been  identi- 
fied since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  local  politics,  and  is 
often  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  various  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  For  two  years  he 
served  as  commissioner  of  highways,  was 
township  trustee  a  number  of  years,  and  in 
1895  was  elected  a  member  of  the  county 
board  of  supervisors,  and  re-elected  in  1898, 
and  is  now  serving  his  second  term.  Among 
the  committees  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  are  public  buildings  and  grounds, 
Canada  thistle,  revenue  and  assessment,  re- 
funding of  taxes,  etc.  He  has  also  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  several 
years  Religiouslj-  Mrs.  Townsend  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  post  at  Sycamore.  A  life-long  resi- 
dent of  De  Kalb  county,  he  is  entitled  to 
honor  for  the  good  that  he  has  done  in  de- 
veloping the  county,  giving  it  a  rank  second 
to  none  in  this  state. 


BAILEY  ROSETTE,  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  De  Kalb  .Advertiser,  is  a 
native  of  De  Kalb  county,  born  in  Paw 
Paw  township.  He  is  a  son  of  William  E. 
and  Elizabeth  (Breese)  Rosette,  both  na- 
tives of    New  Jersey,    the  former  being  of 


French  extraction,  who  was  born  in  this 
country  a  short  time  after  the  arrival  of  his 
parents.  They  were  among  the  early  pio- 
neers of  De  Kalb  county,  locating  in  Paw 
Paw  township  about  1841.  In  early  life 
William  E.  Rosette  learned  the  harness- 
maker's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Later,  however,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  farming,  which  vocation  he 
followed  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  died  in  1880,  while  his  wife  survived 
him  four  years,  dying  in  1884.  The  family 
consisted  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  two  of  the  number  being  editors. 
The  father  lived  an  upright  life,  and  received 
the  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Bailey  Rosette  is  the  youngest  of  the 
familv.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
\illage  of  Paw  Paw,  where  he  completed 
his  literary  course  in  the  seminary  at  that 
place.  His  time  alternated  between  the 
schoolroom  and  the  farm  until  he  reached 
his  twentieth  year,  when  he  went  to  De 
I-ialb,  Illinois,  and  entered  the  printing 
office  of  the  Glidden  Publishing  Company, 
where  he  remained  ten  years.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1895.  he  opened  a  job  printing  office 
on  Main  street  which  proved  so  successful 
that  in  March,  1S98,  he  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  De  Kalb  Advertiser.  This  live- 
ly paper,  though  young,  enjoys  a  large  and 
mcreasing  patronage,  and  takes  rank  among 
the  leading  local  papers  of  the  county.  Its 
editor  is  a  wide-awake  man  who  thoroughly 
understands  his  business,  and  seems  to  be 
in  harmony  with  it. 

On  November  26,  1889,  Mr.  Rosette 
was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Minnie 
Smith,  daughter  of  John  and  .\nn  Smith,  of 
Clinton,  Iowa.  By  this  union  there  is  one 
child,  Breese  Rosette,  born  June  28,  1892. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Rosette  is  a  member  of 


3i6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  Knights  of  the  Globe,  Royal  Arcanum, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  Knights 
of  Pythias.  As  a  citizen  he  advocates  every 
enterprise  for  the  public  good. 


WILLIAM  WITTER,  who  has  a  fine 
farm  on  sections  3  and  10,  Franklin 
township,  traces  his  ancestry  to  his  great- 
grandfather, Joseph  Witter,  Sr.,  a  native 
of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in 
colonial  days,  locating  in  Massachusetts, 
where  he  followed  farming  iluring  his  en- 
tire life.  His  .son,  John  Witter,  Jr.,  was 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  where  he  also 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer. 
During  the  war  of  1S12  he  served  faith- 
fully and  well  as  a  soldier.  His  son.  Dr. 
Joseph  Witter,  was  also  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, l)ut  who  removed  to  the  state  of 
Ohio  when  a  young  man  and  there  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine.  He 
later  moved  to  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  continued  in  practice.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Esther  Overocker,  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  four  children:  William,  Milo,  Catherine 
and  Sarah.  Of  these  the  two  last  named 
are  deceased.  From  Ohio,  Dr.  Witter 
moved  with  his  family  to  Michigan  in  1837, 
and  located  on  a  farm  near  Ann  .Arbor. 

William  \\'itter  was  born  in  Cuyahoga 
county,  Ohio,  February;  21,  1821.  Before 
leaving  his  native  state,  he  acquired  a  lim- 
ited education  in  the  common  schools. 
He  was  si.xteen  year.s  of  age  when  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  \\'ashtenaw  coun- 
ty, Michigan,  and  he  there  remained  until 
1 843,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  located  in 
Boone  county,  where  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  government  land, 
which  he  proceeded  to  develop  into  a  pro- 


ductive farm.  He  continued  a  resident  of 
Boone  county  until  1886,  in  the  meanwhile 
giving  his  attention  exclusively  to  farming. 
Since  that  time  he  has  lived  a  retired  life 
in  the  village  of  Kirkland. 

On  the  1 8th  of  November,  1846,  Mr. 
Witter  was  united  in  marriage  with  Julia 
A.  Shirle)',  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  by  this 
union  were  three  children:  Joseph  C, 
Ellen  E.  and  Marj'  A.  For  thirty-seven 
.Mrs.  Witter  was  an  invalid,  and  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years  of  her  life  she  was 
unable  to  walk  a  step.  Death  came  to  her 
relief  June  4,  1889,  at  the  age  of  si.Kt\-four 
years. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, Adam  Overocker,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  .'\merica  before  the 
Revolutionary  war.  In  that  war  he  served 
as  a  soldier,  and  after  its  close  was  made  a 
pensioner,  which  pension  was  continued 
until  his  death. 

Politically  Mr.  Witter  was  originally  a 
Whig,  casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
William  Henrj-  Harrison.  Because  of  his 
liberty  views  he  drifted  into  the  Repub- 
lican party  on  its  organization,  and  with 
that  party  has  since  continued  to  act. 
While  never  desiring  public  office,  he  has 
served  as  road  commissioner,  to  the  satis- 
faction of  those  residing  with  his  district. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  with  which  body  his  wife  was  also 
identified.  A  Christian  man,  he  endeavors 
to  live  up  to  the  teachmgs  of  the  golden 
rule,  and  so  live  as  to  merit  the  respect  of 
his  fellow  citizens. 


CHRISTI.AN  J.   OHLMACHER,  one  of 
the  leading  plumbers  of  Sycamore,  Il- 
linois,   was  born   near   Frankfort -on -the- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


3t7 


Main,  Province  of  Nassau,  Germany,  June 
14,  1844.  He  began  his  school  life  in  Ger- 
many and  there  attended  school  some  eight- 
een months,  when  in  1851  his  p^.rents  sailed 
for  America.  The  family  went  down  the 
Rhine  to  Rotterdam,  from  which  place  they 
went  to  London,  where  they  were  joined  by 
the  father,  Henry  Ohlinacher,  who  had  fled 
the  country,  having  participated  in  the  re\- 
olution  of  1848.  He  escaped  to  Switzer- 
land and  thence  made  his  way  to  London, 
where  he  waited  for  his  family.  He  served 
with  the  German  troops  under  Wellington 
at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and  was  with  the 
army  that  marched  into  Paris,  where,  at 
Castle  Hugenot,  his  brother,  a  tine  marks- 
man, jumped  on  the  wall  to  bring  down  a 
French  officer.  He  succeeded,  but  received 
a  bullet  through  his  own  head.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Phillip  Ohlmacher,  was 
a  shepherd  in  Germany  and  there  lived  and 
died. 

Henry  Ohlmacher,  the  father,  was  by 
trade  a  gilder  of  metals,  such  as  sv.ords, 
guns,  etc.,  a  work  at  that  time  done  by 
hand  instead  of  electricity  as  now  done. 
He  married  Catherine  Priestersbach,  who 
was  born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  and  an  only 
child  of  her  parents.  They  became  the 
parents  of  six  sons  and  fourdaughters,  seven 
of  whom  are  yet  living.  Ou  coining  to  this 
country  the  familj-  located  in  the  suburbs  of 
Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  the  father  purchased 
a  small  farm  and  there  lived  and  died  in 
1873,  when  about  seventy-six  years  old. 
His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
Sandusky  schools  until  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  when  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to 
drive  an  express  wagon  for  his  brother  and 
there  remained  three  years.  From  Cincin- 
nati he  went  to  Aurora,  Illinois,  where  sev- 


eral of  his  brothers  were  then  living,  and 
there  learned  the  tinner's  trade,  serving 
until  twenty-one  years  old.  Returning  to 
Sandusk}',  Ohio,  he  remained  eighteen 
months,  and  then  came  back  to  Aurora,  Il- 
linois, where  he  was  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness from  1868  to  1874.  In  the  latter  year 
he  sold  out  and  came  to  Sycamore,  Illinois, 
and  ser\ed  as  foreman  in  the  shops  of  Cap- 
tain Whittemore  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  In  the  summer  of  1897  he  opened 
an  establishment  of  his  own,  where  he  does 
all  kinds  of  tin  and  sheet  metal  work  and 
plumbing,  having  a  well  furnished  shop 
with  all  the  necessary  appliances  for  doing 
the  highest  grade  of  work. 

In  1864  Mr.  Ohlmacher  w^as  united  in 
marriage  at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  with  Miss 
.\nna  Scherer,  a  native  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Scherer  who  was 
born  in  Germany.  By  this  union  nine  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  (i)  Albert,  who  grew 
to  manhood  in  Aurora  and  Sycamore,  and 
after  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Nesbitt,  then 
spent  one  year  at  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago,  but  was  later  graduated  from  the 
Chicago  Medical  College.  After  his 
graduation  he  located  at  Gallipolis,  Ohio, 
where  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  is  now  one  of  the  foremost 
bacteriologists  in  the  country.  In  the  summer 
of  1897  he  visited  the  hospitals  and  colleges 
in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston  and 
Washington,  making  special  study  of  an- 
titoxin and  reduced  the  time  of  perfecting 
the  serum  from  six  months  to  three  weeks, 
which  called  forth  complimentary  and 
congratulatory  notices  in  all  the  leading 
medical  journals  of  the  country.  He  married 
Miss  Grace  Peck,  of  Sycamore,  Illinois, and 
they  have  two  children,  Horace  and  .Mbert. 


3i8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


(2)  Fred,  who  is  in  business  in  Lockport, 
Illinois,  married  Miss  Blanche  Paddock, 
and  they  have  two  children.  Vera  and 
Florence.  (3)  Dora,  and  (4)  William,  are 
deceased.  (5)  Lillian  is  in  the  employ  of 
Johnson  &  King,  dry  goods  merchants  of 
Sycamore.  (6)  Joseph  is  now  a  medical 
student  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons.  (7)  Henry  is  deceased. 
(8)  Annie  is  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Sycamore.  (9)  Winfield  is  learning  his 
father's  trade. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ohhnacher  is  an  in- 
dependent Democrat,  and  has  served  as 
alderman  in  Sycamore  for  several  terms. 
He  is  now  superintendent  of  the  city  water 
works,  a  position  he  is  well  qualified  to  till. 
Fraternall}'  he  is  a  Mason,  having  member- 
ship in  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery,  and  has  represented  the  order  in 
the  grand  lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  has 
filled  all  the  chairs  of  his  lodge,  and  has  re- 
presented it  in  the  grand  lodge.  He  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  when  the  order  had  a  lodge  in 
Sycamore.  An  expert  workman,  good 
business  man,  public  spirited  and  enterpris- 
ing, he  has  many  friends  in  Sycamore  and 
throughout  De  Kalb  county. 


KENDALL  JACKMAN.  who  is  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  at  Genoa,  Illi- 
nois, is  one  of  the  representative  businessmen 
of  the  place.  He  was  born  at  Chautauqua, 
Franklin  county, 'New  York,  September  22, 
1824,  and  is  the  son  of  Abner  and  Mary 
(Kendall)  Jackman,  the  former  a  native  of 
Weathersfield,  \'ermont,  born  in  1800,  and 
who  died  in  De  Kalb  county,  in  November, 
185 1.      \Mien    a  young   man,  he  moved  to 


Franklin  county.  New  York,  and  in  1834 
came  to  Illinois  and  bought  a  farm  near 
Plainfield.  In  1836,  he  bought  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  in  Sycamore  township, 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  a  strong  abolitionist.  For 
several  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  His  wife  survived  him  many  years, 
dying  when  seventy  years  old.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children  as  follows: 
Kendall,  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Brown,  Martin 
Luther,  Mrs.  Armenia  Nichols,  Mrs.  Lou- 
isa A.  Brown,  .Mrs.  Hattie  DePue,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Field, 

Kendall  Jackson  was  ten  years  old  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois. 
While  yet  residing  in  New  York,  he  attend- 
ed the  district  .school,  and  on  coming  to 
Sycamore  township  he  attended  school  in 
the  first  log  school-house  built  in  the  town- 
ship. When  he  attained  his  majority,  he 
commenced  working  for  himself,  at  ten  dol- 
lars per  month,  on  vaiious  farms  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  continued  to  be  thus  em- 
ployed for  two  years.  At  times  he  worked 
in  a  hay  field  at  fifty  cents  per  day.  He 
was  married  in  Sj'camore  township,  Octo- 
ber 10,  1847,  to  Miss  Ann  C.  Hunt,  a  na- 
tive of  New  Jersey,  and  a  daughter  of 
Hedges  and  Sarah  (Stark)  Hunt.  By  this 
union  two  children  were  born,  Frank  H. 
and  Vesper,  the  latter  being  deceased. 
Frank  H.  grew  to  manhood,  and  first  mar- 
ried Eva  Guernsey',  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Eveline.  His  second  marriage 
was  with  Letitia  Van  Alstine,  a  daughter  of 
\\"illiam  Van  .\lstine,  and  they  have  one 
son,  William. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Jackman  rented 
land  and  commenced  farming  for  himself. 
His  outfit  consisted  of  two  steers  and  an  old 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


319 


cart.  After  renting  for  a  year  or  two,  he 
purchased  fort)-  acres  in  Sycamore  town- 
ship, to  which  he  added  from  time  to  time 
until  he  had  a  hirge  and  finely  improved 
farm.  He  continued  to  reside  upon  that 
place,  engaged  in  farming,  until  1878,  when 
he  moved  to  the  village  of  Genoa  and  com- 
menced dealing  in  coal,  wood,  grain,  stock 
and  farm  machinery.  He  continued  in  busi- 
ness alone  for  eight  years,  when  he  took  his 
sons  into  partnership  with  him,  and  they 
have  since  continued  in  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Jackman  &  Sons. 

In  politics  Mr.  Jackman  is  a  Republic- 
an, with  which  party  he  has  been  identified 
since  its  organization.  For  fifteen  years  he 
served  his  township  as  supervisor,  and  that 
he  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  satis- 
factorily is  attested  by  the  long-continued 
service.  He  has  been  a  master  Mason  for 
twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Jackman  arrived  in 
De  Kalb  county  before  the  Indians  had  left, 
and  has  witnessed  the  development  of  this 
garden  spot  of  the  continent  from  a  wilder- 
ness to  its  present  highly-cultivated  condi- 
tion. He  first  lived  in  a  log  house,  and 
went  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  to  mill. 
The  country  was  open,  no  fences  having 
been  erected,  and  he  could  ride  over  it  in 
any  direction.  Few  houses  were  in  sight 
from  even  the  highest  ooint  of  land. 


THOMAS  S.  CORKINGS,  deceased,  was 
a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  born 
in  1830,  and  was  the  son  of  William  and 
Mary  Corkings,  both  of  whom  were  also 
natives  of  England.  In  1848,  when  but 
eighteen  years  old,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Niagara  county.  New 
York.  The  following  year  his  parents  also 
emigrated  to  this  country,  and  after  remain- 


ing in  Niagara  county  about  two  years,  they 
removed  to  Belvidere,  Illinois,  where  the 
father  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
for  several  years  successfully  carried  on  a 
farm  in  Boone  county.  Later  he  removed 
to  I)e  Kalb,  where  he  engaged  in  the  brew- 
ing business,  in  which  he  continued  a  num- 
ber (jf  years,  when  he  sold  his  interest,  in 
1872,  to  our  subject.  After  a  few  years  of 
retired  life  he  died  at  De  I\alb,  anrl  was 
soon  followed  by  his  wife. 

Thomas  Corkings  was  fourth  in  a  family 
of  si.x  children,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  country.  For  some  years 
after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he  fol- 
lowed farming,  but  in  1S72,  as  stated,  he 
purchased  his  father's  interest  in  a  brewery 
at  De  Kalb,  and  successfully  conducted  it 
until  1884,  after  which  he  engaged  in  no 
special  line  of  business. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1863,  Mr.  Corkings 
married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Garlick,  a  native  of 
Canada,  born  November  16,  1843,  and  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Eliza  Garlick,  na- 
ti\-es  of  England,  but  of  Scotch  descent, 
who  emigrated  to  Canada  and  later  to  the 
United  States.  By  this  union  were  three 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  George 
and  Joseph  \V.  In  1873  they  adopted  an- 
other child,  Nellie,  born  in  De  Kalb. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Corkings  was  a  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  at  De 
Kalb  and  the  connnandery  at  Sycamore. 
He  was  a  man  of  rare  business  talents,  keen 
perceptions  and  broad  ideas.  He  held  the 
office  of  alderman  for  a  tune  to  the  ciedit 
of  those  who  elected  him.  He  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1896,  at  the  age  of  sixt_\'-two  years. 
In  his  death  the  wife  lost  a  loving  husband, 
the  children  an  affectionate  father  and  the 
connniHiit}'  one  of  its  most  enterprising 
citizens. 


320 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


HORACE  HASKINS,  who  resides  upon 
section  34,  Genoa  township,  is  one  of 
the  most  successful  farmers  and  financiers 
in  De  Kalb  county.  He  was  born  near 
Henderson  Harbor,  in  Jefferson  county. 
New  York,  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Ontario, 
November  17,  1S20.  His  father,  John  Has- 
kins,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1 78 1.  He  was  a  farmer  and  fish- 
erman, depending  mostly  upon  the  lake  for 
his  sustenance.  His  wife,  Mary  Tolinan, 
was  born  August  28,  1783.  Her  ancestors 
came  to  America  in  the  Mayflower.  John 
and  Mary  (Tolman)  Haskins  were  the  par- 
ents of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject was  tenth  in  order  of  birth.  They 
never  came  west,  but  died  in  the  county 
which  had  so  long  been  their  home,  the 
father  in  1856  and  the  mother  in  1825. 
He  served  in  the  war  of  181 2.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather,  John  Haskins,  Sr. ,  was  a 
farmer  bj'  occupation,  and  it  is  supposed 
that  he  ser\ed  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  county,  and  assisted  his 
father  in  fishing  and  working  a  small  piece 
of  ground.  He  began  life  under  very  un- 
favorable conditions,  but  was  always  handy 
with  tools,  and  early  in  life  learned 
the  cabinet-maker's  trade,  and  for  a  time 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  trunks,  from 
which  he  derived  some  little  income.  He 
was  a  shrewd  trader  even  in  his  boyhood, 
and  followed  the  Yankee  boy's  bent  of  trad- 
ing jack-knives,  taking  a  poor  knife,  sharp- 
ening and  polishing  it,  then  trading  for 
another  one,  getting  "boot."  In  this  way 
he  made  enough  to  pay  tuition  in  the  prim- 
itive schools,  and  also  pay  his  father's  taxes, 
which,  by  the  way,  were  less  than  a  dollar. 
After  securing  an  arithmetic,  he  attended 
school  but  eleven  days,  from   the   fact  that 


being  so  handy  with  his  knife  he  was  asked 
by  the  teacher  to  make  and  mend  all  the 
pens,  which  were  then  made  entirely  of 
quill,  and  being  too  obliging  for  his  own 
good   he  was  kept  busy  helping  the  teacher. 

When  but  five  years  of  age  Mr.  Haskins 
lost  his  mother,  and  his  father  later  married 
a  widow  who  had  children  by  a  former  hus- 
band, thus  increasing  the  family  to  twenty- 
two,  which  was  entirely  too  many  mouths 
to  feed  on  the  small  income  that  could  be 
derived  from  fishing  and  working  the  small 
place.  In  view  of  this  fact,  our  subject  de- 
termined to  improve  his  fortunes  in  the 
west.  On  March  11,  1841,  when  but  little 
more  than  twenty  years  old,  he  married 
Miss  Polly  Maria  Beebe,  born  in  the  town 
of  Loraine,  Jefferson  county.  New  York, 
June  17,  1820,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Beebe,  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade,  who  mar- 
ried Sallie  Clark,  daughter  of  John  Clark. 
By  this  union  there  were  three  children: 
James  Harvej",  who  died  on  the  lake  during 
the  emigration  of  the  family;  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  John  Haines,  of  New  Hamp- 
shire; and  Martha  Minerva,  wife  of  Daniel 
Beebe,  residing  on  our  subject's  farm  near 
Charter  Grove  station,  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  Haskins  adopted  Horace  Clar- 
ence Haskins,  Jul\-  27,  1870,  as  his  son. 
He  was  born  May  4,  1866.  When  grown 
to  manhood  he  married  Clara  Vogel,  and 
the}'  have  three  children,  Nora.  James  H. 
and  Pearl.  They  live  in  the  village  of 
Charter  Grove. 

The  father-in-law  of  our  subject  decided 
to  come  west  with  him,  and  Mr.  Haskins 
assisted  in  the  building  of  a  boat,  at  Hen- 
derson's Harbor,  that  was  to  make  its 
maiden  trip  to  Chicago  in  1844.  .\fter 
finishing  the  boat  the  father-in-law  sold  his 
farm,    and    joining    our  subject,  they    both 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF   ILLINOIS 


HORACE    HASKINS. 


MRS.   HORACE   HASKINS. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


3^5 


came  west  witli  their  families.  It  was  a 
long  voyage,  their  vessel  being  detained  one 
week  in  the  Welland  canal,  whore  the  yiHuif^ 
son  of  our  subject  was  taken  sick,  and  grow- 
ing worse,  he  died  in  the  straits  of  Macki- 
nac, and  was  buried  at  Milwaukee.  He 
landed  at  Chicago  with  but  five  dollars  and 
thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  and  from  that 
place  went  to  St.  Charles,  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  got  work  but  was  nearly 
cheated  out  of  his  wages.  After  remaining 
in  St.  Charles  a  few  weeks  he  started  for  I)e 
Kalb  county,  and  passed  through  Burlington 
township,  Kane  county,  July  4,  1844.  His 
first  settlement  was  made  in  Sycamore  town- 
ship, where  he  rented  a  farm  of  Klihu 
Wright,  and  then  worked  for  another  party 
for  a  pair  of  young  steers,  and  traded  until 
he  got  another  pair.  In  trading  he  always 
came  out  just  a  little  ahead.  His  first  pur- 
chase of  land  was  tortj'  acres  of  timber, 
the  title  of  which  was  defective  owing  to  a 
prior  claim.  He  gave  up  half  to  get  a  clear 
title  to  the  remainder.  That  twenty  acres 
vet  remains  in  his  possession.  Finally  he 
bought  fort\'  acres  in  his  wife's  name,  in 
Genoa  township,  and  forty  acres  just  west 
in  his  own  name,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided, a  period  of   more  than  fifty  years. 

Later  Mr.  Haskins  purchased  the  |ona- 
than  Perry  farm  in  Sycamore  township,  in 
partnership  with  another  man.  Having  to 
make  most  of  the  paj-ments,  he  finally  got 
a  division  of  the  land,  and  soon  had  a  clear 
title  to  one  hundred  and  sixt\-two  and  a 
half  acres,  on  which  one  of  his  daughters 
now  resides.  During  the  early  days  he  bor- 
rowed money  at  thirty-three  and  a  third  per 
cent,  interest,  and  for  a  short  time  borrowed 
some  at  one  hundred  per  cent,  interest. 
In  his  business  management  he  has  been 
Wonderfully  successful,  being  a  man  of   fine 


judgment  and  (jiiick  to  see  advantages  in  a 
purchase.  He  has  now  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  in  Ue  Kalb  counts,  si.\ty  acres  ui 
Sac  count)',  Iowa,  nearly  one  thousand 
acres  in  Madison  coimty,  Nebraska,  about 
seven  miles  from  Madison,  the  count\'  seat. 
Recently  he  sold  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Michigan.  He  has  made  many  im- 
provements in  land  owned  by  him,  built 
many  houses  and  barns,  erected  numerous 
windmills,  and  supplied  each  farm  with  im- 
proved implements.  While  living  on  his 
first  rented  farm  in  1S44,  he  bought  in  Chi- 
cago and  brought  to  De  Kalb  county,  the 
first  steel  scouring  plow  ever  brought  to  the 
county,  wooden  mold  boards  being  used 
prior  to  that  time. 

On  the  iith  of  March,  1891,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Haskins  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding, many  guests  being  received  from  Syca- 
more and  surrounding  points.  Old  friends 
who  have  lived  through  changes  of  the 
countrw  from  a  waving  sea  of  prairie  grass 
to  a  garden  of  plenty,  and  who  were  able 
to  recall  many  interestmg  scenes  of  the  long 
ago.  Four  years  later,  however,  on  the 
9th  of  April,  1895,  Mrs.  Haskins  was  called 
to  her  final  rest. 

.\  few  years  since  Mr.  Haskins  re-visited 
his  old  home  iu  New  ^'ork,  and,  like  Rip 
\'an  Winkle,  he  knew  no  one  anil  was  un- 
known. The  old  mill  and  dam  were  gone, 
the  Baptist  church  of  the  hill  side,  which 
he  saw  built,  haddis  appeared  and  the  only 
trace  of  his  father's  old  homestead  was  a 
decaying  gatepost  which  he  had  set  out 
more  than  half  a  century  ago.  In  politics 
Mr.  Haskins  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never 
had  time  for  public  office;  a  man  of  unusual 
executi.ve  ability,  his  succe.ss  has  been  great 
and  he  is  now  living  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  a 
life  well  spent. 


526 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


HENRY  B.  CURLER,  dairyman,  is 
considered  by  Americans  and  Cana- 
dians to  be  the  best  authority  on  dairying 
in  America.  He  was  born  in  Chesterfield, 
Cheshire  county,  New  Hampshire,  May  21, 
1840.  His  parents,  Benjamin  and  Harriet 
(Hopkins)  Gurler,  soon  afterwards  removed 
to  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  wiiere  they  re- 
sided until  1856,  when  they  came  to  De 
i\.alb  county,  and  settled  on  section  32,  De 
Kalb  township.  They  were  both  natives  of 
New  England,  the  former  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  the  latter  in  New  Hampshire. 
The  Curlers  are  of  Welsh  extraction,  while 
the  Hopkins  are  of  English.  Benjamin 
Gurler  was  a  mechanic,  but  later  in  life 
abandoned  it  for  the  cultivation  of  thi:  soil. 
On  coming  to  De  Kalb  township  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres,  which  was  partially  improved,  and 
there  remained  peacefully  and  honorably 
until  old  age  advanced  the  pace,  and  in  1883 
he  retired  from  active  life  and  removed  to 
the  city  of  De  Kalb,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  his  eighty-third  year.  His  wile 
died  in  her  seventy-si.xth  year. 

Henry  B.  Gurler  was  the  first  born  in  the 
family  of  fi\e  children,  four  of  whom  are 
yet  living.  In  his  native  state  he  received 
his  education  and  there  remained  until  his 
sixteenth  year,  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  De  Kalb  count}'.  He  lived  on 
the  home  farm  and  assisted  in  its  cultiva- 
tion, while  teaching  school  two  winter 
terms,  until  he  attained  his  majority.  The 
war  for  the  Union  was  then  in  progress  and 
he  offered  his  services  to  his  country,  enlist- 
ing in  the  Forty-second  Illinois  \'olunteer 
Infantry,  Company  K,  under  Captain  j.  D. 
Butts.  After  experiencing  some  of  the  hard- 
ships incident  to  war  life  in  Missouri,  Iven- 
tucky,  Mississippi,  Tennessee  and  Alabama, 


he  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of 
disability  in  September.  1862.  In  May, 
1864.  he  re-enlisted  in  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-second  Illinois  X'olun- 
teer  Infantrv,  and  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  and  was  placed  on  garrison  iliity 
in  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  until  Octo- 
ber of  the  same  year  and  was  again  honor- 
ably discharged. 

Returning  home,  Lieutmant  ( uirler  en- 
gaged in  general  merchandi/.ing  in  De  Kalb, 
in  which  he  continued  until  1868,  when  he 
returned  to  the  farm.  He  soon  purchased 
a  farm  on  section  5,  Afton  township,  which 
he  improved  and  which  is  now  one  ol  the 
finest  farms  in  the  township.  In  1870  he 
began  dairying  in  a  small  way,  his  business 
gradually  growing  until  it  has  reached  phe- 
nomenal dimensions.  On  commencing  the 
business  he  kept  a  strict  account  of  all  his 
expenditures,  experiments  made  and  the 
results  of  each.  His  knowledge  thus  gained 
was  in  due  time  given  to  the  world  and  his 
ability  and  authority  upon  all  questions  per- 
taining to  the  dairy  business  was  recognized 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land. 

In  1882  Mr.  (lurler  removed  from  his 
farm  to  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  where  he  enjoys 
the  pleasures  and  comforts  of  a  fine  home. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  he  embarked  in 
the  creamery  business  proper,  forming  a  co- 
partnership with  his  brother  George  and  H. 
H.  Hopkins,  of  Hinckley,  Illinois.  This  co- 
partnership was  continued  until  January  i, 
1896,  when  it  was  dissolved  by  mutual  con- 
sent and  the  business  divided  among  the 
members  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Gurler  has  now 
two  creameries  and  tvv(j  milk  stations,  one 
of  his  creameries  being  at  De  Kalb  and 
the  other  at  Five  Corners.  During  the  en- 
tire time  in  which   he   has    been  engaged  in 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  business,  he  has  gi\en  it  his  personal 
supervision,  every  part  of  it  corning  under 
his  e\e,  nothing  being  too  trivial  for  his 
notice,  hence  his  success. 

In  1S91  Professor  \\'.  A.  Henry,  of  the 
Wisconsin  Agricultural  College,  importuned 
him  to  take  charge  of  the  dairy  department 
in  that  institution — the  first  dairy  school  in 
America.  He  accepted  the  position,  and 
was  instructor  for  one  term.  The  state  of 
\'ermont  ne.xt  sought  his  services  for  her 
agricultural  college,  where  he  served  as  in- 
structor two  terms.  In  1893  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Agricultural  College  engaged  his  val- 
uable services,  with  which  he  continued  three 
terms.  All  this  time  his  home  business  was 
making  rapid  strides,  and  his  reputation  e.x- 
tended  far  and  near.  A  new  enterprise  was 
now  thrust  upon  him.  There  was  a  de- 
mand for  pure  milk  in  Chicago  for  infants 
and  invalids,  leading  physicians  of  the  city 
demanding  it  in  their  practice.  Mr.  Gurler 
undertook  to  supply  the  demand.  \\"\lh 
many  misgivings,  he  commenced  the  ship- 
ment of  "certified  milk."  He  was  en- 
couraged by  those  who  knew  him  in  this  en- 
terprise, one  of  the  professors  in  an  institu- 
tion where  he  was  an  instructor  in  pre\ious 
years,  writing  him  "that  if  anybody  can 
furnish  pure  milk,  you  can."  The  following 
named  doctors  have  certified  to  the  purit\' 
of  the  milk  :  \V.  S.  Christopher,  Fernand 
Henrotin,  Frank  S.  [ohnson,  Lester  E. 
Frankenthal.  .\.  C.  Cottin,  Professor  \\'al- 
ter  S.  Haines,  and  nearly  fifty  others,  all  of 
Chicago.  The  business  has  become  enor- 
mous. 

In  1893  Mr.  Gurler  was  induced  to  issue 
a  work  on  dairying  by  the  authorities  of 
those  agricultural  colleges  with  which  he 
came  in  touch.  This  book  is  the  result  of 
his  own   personal    experience   in    the    dairy 


business,  and  is  of  inestimable  value,  not 
only  to  dairymen  but  to  any  man  who  keeps 
a  milk  cow.  Its  appropriate  name  is 
"American  Dairying."  This  work  has  been 
highly  recommended  by  tiie  press  and  also 
by  all  the  highest  dair}'  authorities  in  the 
country.  Of  this  work,  John  B.  Hand,  pro- 
prietor of  The  Dairy,  144  Fleet  street,  Lon- 
don, England,  says:  "  The  excellent  prac- 
tical treatise  on  dairying,  farming  and  the 
management  of  creameries  bj'  H.  B.  Gurler, 
is  of  extreme  value,  well  written,  abounding 
in  information.  I  have  nothing  but  praise 
for  the  book,  from  which  I  shall  take  the 
liberty  of  quoting  as  opportunit}'  offers." 
The  work  is  highly  recommended  b}-  Pro- 
fessor W.  A.  Henry,  Dean  of  the  College  of 
Agriculture  and  director  of  the  Wisconsin 
.Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  who  says: 
"  This  work  cannot  help  proving  a  genuine 
addition  to  our  limited  list  of  agricultural 
books  of  real  merit."  Professor  H.  ].  Wa- 
ters, professor  in  the  Pennsyhania  .Agricult- 
ural College,  says:  "  It  was  during  his  en- 
gagement with  the  dairy  school  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College  that  Mr.  Gurler  was 
finalh'  induced  to  put  in  book  form  the  re- 
sults of  his  years  of  experience,  careful 
thought  and  research  in  dairying.  ■■■  •■■  -" 
I  note  with  great  pleasure  the  favorable 
impression  it  is  making  and  the  great  atten- 
tion it  is  attracting."  1).  W.  \^'ilson,  sec- 
retary of  the  National  Dair}-  Cnion.  writes: 
"  The  great  advantage  of  this  work  at  the 
present  time,  it  seems  to  me,  will  be  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Gurler  has  been  at  the  front 
in  all  the  progress  and  advancement  of  the 
dairj"  for  the  last  twenty-five  years."  Many 
other  agricultural  papers  mention  the  clear, 
concise  and  unambiguous  terms  used  by  Mr. 
(iurler.  The  following  are  words  of  praise 
from  ex-Governor  Hoard: 


328 


tHE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


"  One  of  the  most  notable  things  in  con- 
nection with  practical  dairying  daring  the 
present  (1.S95)  year  is  the  piibliration  of  a 
practical  ivratise  on  that  siihjert  by  a  man 
of  wide  e.\perience,  trained  judgment  and 
skilled  common  sense.  It  treats  every  phase 
of  the  question  from  the  breeding  and  selec- 
tion of  the  cow  to  the  final  marketing  of  the 
finished  product.      "■■     "'■'  We  have  read 

the  book  with  great  care — much  of  it  more 
than  once — and  the  more  we  read  it  the  bet- 
ter we  liked  it.  As  a  literar}'  production  it 
is  almost  equal  to  (irant's  Memoirs,  so  un- 
affected is  its  diction,  so  direct  and  simple 
its  sentences,  so  candid  in  e\ery  utterance. 
He  writes  of  what  he  knows,  of  what  he  has 
seen  and  tried,  and  unlike  many  writers  of 
books,  he  has  the  rare  gift  of  omitting  the 
superfluous  and  uncertain.  Having  been  in 
personal  business  contact  with  every  branch 
of  the  subject  for  many  \ears — growing  the 
fodder,  feeding  and  milking  the  cows,  cream- 
ing the  milk  and  churning  and  marketing 
the  butter  in  the  private  dairy  and  in  the 
creamery — his  experience  as  an  instructor 
in  the  dairy  schools  of  Wisconsin,  X'crmont 
and  Pennsylvania  has  taught  him  what  to 
sav  and  iiow  to  sa\'  it.  The  result  is  that 
he  has  given  us  the  best  book  on  dairying 
that  was  ever  written,  not  too  learned  or 
technical  for  the  beginner,  nor  too  verbose 
or  commonplace  for  the  scientist,  the  expert 
or  the  editor.  The  publishers  (J.  H.  San- 
ders Publishing  Company,  Chicago  1  ha\e 
done  their  part  well,  as  well  in  the  matter 
of  price  (one  dollar  as  in  typography  and 
press  work.  .\t  least  tun  thousand  dairy 
farmers  and  butter  makers  should  read  this 
book  during  the  coming  winter." 

Henry  B.  Curler  was  one  of  the  board 
of  reviewing  judges  for  dairying  machinerj' 
at  the  Columbian  E.xposition.      He  was  also 


judge  of  the  butter  in  the  breed  contest  at 
the  same  e.xposition.  No  man  was  better 
fitted  for  the  positions  and  nn  man  ga\  e  bet- 
ter satisfaction.  More  than  once  Mr.  Cnr- 
ler's  rare  discriminating  powers  were  tested 
in  that  the  same  butter  was  presented  for 
competition  under  two  names,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  same  man  would  send  two  pack- 
ages, one  to  compete  with  the  other.  In 
each  case  Mr.  (iurler  would  detect  the  fraud 
and  classify  the  butter  where  it  belonged. 
He  was  twice  elected  president  of  the  Illi- 
nois Dairy  Association,  refusing  to  take  a 
third  term.  l-'or  several  \ears  he  was  treas- 
urer of  the  Northwestern  Dairy  Associa- 
tion at  the  time  ex-Covernor  Hoard  was  its 
president.  He  has  represented  the  dairy 
interests  of  Illinois  on  the  l-lxperiment  Sta- 
tion Board  of  Control  continuously  since 
its  organization  under  the  Hatch  law  in 
1 886. 

Not  onlj'  is  Mr.  Curler  authority  on 
dairying,  but  also  on  buildings  where  cows 
are  kept.  The  representatives  of  the  Wis- 
consin Experimental  and  Agricultural  Sta- 
tion, after  visiting  the  United  States  and 
Canada  for  ideas  to  incorporate  in  their  new- 
barns  and  row  stables,  patterned  after  those 
of  Mr.  Curler. 

On  the  27th  of  .March,  1S67,  Mr.  Cur- 
ler was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Selenia 
Rolfe,  a  native  of  England  and  a  daughter 
of  George  Rolfe,  of  De  Kalb  county.  By 
this  union  were  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living:  Stella  F. .  now  Mrs. 
Lundberg,  and  Lulu  May. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Curler  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  was  the 
first  commander  of  Merritt  Simonds  Post, 
No.  283.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  of  the  blue  lodge  and  chap- 
ter  at    De    Kalb.      While  residintr   in  Afton 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


329 


township  he  st;r\e(J  as  a  iiieiiib(.T  uf  the 
board  of  school  trustees  and  since  remuvinf^ 
to  De  Kalb  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education,  and  also  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council.  In  whatever  position 
he  has  been  called  on  to  fill,  he  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  faithfullj-  and  well.  As 
a  business  man  he  has  met  with  uncjualitied 
success  and  as  a  citi/en  he  is  held  in  the 
hiirhest  esteem. 


EUGENE  O.  UONNEl^LV,  who  resides 
upon  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  section  S,  Afton  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  the  city 
of  Dublin,  Ireland,  born  January  i,  1852, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Farrell) 
Donnelly,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives 
of  the  Green  Isle.  They  were  the  parents 
of  two  children,  Eugene  O.,  our  subject, 
and  Mary,  who  married  George  Nelson  and 
now  resides  in  Osage  county,  Kansas.  In 
I  864  the  family  came  to  America  and  located 
in  De  Kalb  count\',  Illinois,  where  the  father 
followed  agricultural   pursuits. 

Our  subject  was  but  twelve  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  the 
United  States  and  during  his  minority 
assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm, 
and  as  the  opportunity  was  afforded  him  at- 
tending the  district  schools.  On  the  loth 
of  January,  1883,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  Horan,  a  nati\e  of 
Pierce  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
and  by  this  union  are  three  children,  Mary, 
John  and  Sarah.  Soon  after  his  marriage 
he  purchased  the^  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides and  began  its  further  improvement. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  consistent  mctnl)er  of 
the  Catln>lic  church,  dieil  in  i88y.      On  the 


3rd  of  April,  1893,  Mr.  Domielly  was  again 
married,  choosing  as  his  companion  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  (Lyons)  Findley,  a  native  of  De 
Kalb  county,  and  they  ha\  e  now  three  chil- 
dren, Martin,  Elizabeth  and  Eugene. 

In  politics  Mr.  Donnelly  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  been  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens 
with  \arious  township  offices,  including 
commissioner  of  highways,  a  position  which 
he  has  held  several  terms.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  religiously  is  a  Catholic.  As 
a  farmer  he  has  been  (juite  successful  and 
ever  keeps  his  farm  under  a  high  state  of 
cultixation,  making  of  it  one  of  the  best  in 
the  township.  As  a  citizen  he  is  deservedly 
held  in  high  esteem. 


SILAS  R.  CAMPBELL,  deceased,  who 
for  man\'  }'ears  was  a  well-known 
farmer  in  Sycamore  township,  was  born  in 
Chenango  county,  New  York,  March  31, 
1833,  and  was  the  son  of  John  R.  and  Clar- 
inda  (Marvin;  Campbell,  who  came  from 
New  York  to  De  Kalb  county,  about  1S53, 
the  former  dying  in  Sycamore  township,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  and  the  latter 
when  eighty-two  years  old. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his 
boyhood  and  Nouth  in  his  native  state, 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  came  with  his  parents  in  1853, 
and  remained  with  them  until  after  he  at- 
tained his  majority.  He  .vas  twice  married, 
his  first  union  being  with  Mrs.  Mary  Ham- 
mond, who  died  in  1S66.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. 

The  second  union  of  Mr.  Campbell  was 
solemnized    J.inuaiy  1,    1SO8,  when   he   mar- 


330 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ried  Miss  Phcebe  Catherine  Winans,  a  native 
of  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  born 
Aufiust  13,  KS44,  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Betsy  (Christy)  Winans,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Her  father 
come  west  in  1846,  and  settled  in  Mayfield 
township,  where  he  li\ed  one  year,  and 
then  remo\ed  to  another  farm  in  the  same 
township,  a  little  farther  west,  where  he  re- 
mained some  si.x  or  eight  years.  He  then 
moved  to  the  city  of  Sycamore,  and  there 
resided  some  two  or  three  years,  after  which 
he  purchased  a  farm  on  section  21,  Syca- 
more township,  and  there  resided  until  his 
death  in  the  spring  of  1861,  when  about 
fifty  years  old.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  years,  dying  in  Burlington  township. 
Kane  county,  Jul\-  1,  1898,  at  the  age  ol 
eighty-eight  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Philetus  P., 
living  in  Kane  county;  James  D.,  deceased; 
Harriet  M.,  wife  of  Gilbert  \'an  Dusen; 
Edward  K.,  living  in  Marengo,  Illinois;  Clark 
A.,  residing  in  Sycamore;  Phcebe  C. ,  widow 
of  our  subject;  George  W. ,  who  died  in 
Mayfield  township,  De  Kalb  county;  Thirza 
J. ,  wife  of  Thomas  Fathergill ;  Jeremiah  O. , 
residing  in  Marengo,  Illinois;  and  Susan, 
who  died  in  childhood. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  five  children  have 
been  born,  (i)  Rufus  Allen,  born  March 
10,  1869,  died  October  g,  1897.  Frater- 
nally he  was  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  (2)  Leon  Murra}', 
born  July  22,  1870,  married  Alice  Olsen,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  Esther  May  and 
Helen  Irene.  He  is  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Sycamore  township.  (3)  Libbie  An- 
geline,  born  August  19,  1873,  married  Rob- 
ert J.  J.  Montgomery,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Robert  J.  J.  and  William  McKin- 
lev.      Thev  reside  in   Kane  county,  Illinois. 


(4)  Mary  Maude  married  Harry  Drew,  and 
they  reside  on  the  farm  with  Mrs.  Campbell. 

(5)  Horace  Wilson,  at  present  living  in 
Colorado,  working  for  the  Chicago  Portrait 
Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

In  politics  Mr.  Campbell  was  a  Repub- 
lican, but  not  specially  active  part  in  political 
affairs.  He  was  a  man  that  de\oted  his  at- 
tention to  his  farming  interests,  and  to  the 
welfare  ol  his  family.  His  death  in  januarj', 
1 885,  was  mourned  by  a  largecircle  of  friends. 
Mrs.  Campbell,  who  still  remains  upon  the 
farm,  is  a  woman  that  is  greatly  esteemed. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Charter  Grove 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  also  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  Globe,  and  Ladies  of 
the  Maccabees. 


NELSON  SIVWRIGHT,  now  living  a 
retired  life  on  his  farm  in  section  15, 
Mayfield  township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  county  since  1848.  He  is  a  native 
of  Nova  Scotia,  born  November  26,  1839, 
and  is  the  son  of  Alexander  Sivwright, 
also  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  born  February 
22,  1800.  His  grandfather,  James  Siv- 
wright, was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and,  in 
1776,  enlisted  in  the  British  army,  and 
served  against  the  Americans  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  He  was  with  the  British  in 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  later 
taken  prisoner  in  Connecticut,  and  held  for 
eighteen  months,  when  he  was  e.xchanged 
and  fought  against  the  French  in  the  West 
Indies.  Subsequently  he  settled  in  Nova 
Scotia,  and  there  married. 

Alexander  Sivwright  was  reared  in  his 
native  country  and  there  married  Mary  Kil- 
cup,  also  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  While 
residing    in  his  native  land    he  engaged  in 


THE    BIOGKAPHTCAL    RECORL\ 


331 


fariiiin;;  for  some  years.  Dcsirinj;  to  better 
his  condition  in  life,  he  came  to  De  Kalf) 
county,  IHinois.  in  1S48,  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  15,  Mayiield 
township,  forty  acres  of  which  had  been 
broken,  and  a  lo,i;  house  had  been  erected 
on  the  place.  On  that  farm  he  continued 
to  reside  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  August  22,  1886.  His  wife 
died  July  18,  1885,  and  both  were  laid  to 
rest  in  the  Maytield  cemetery.  Of  their  five 
children.  Nelson  and  his  brother  James  are 
the  onl}'  survivors. 

Nelson  Sivwright  came  to  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, a  lad  of  nine  jears,  and  assisted  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  home  farm  until  after  he 
attained  his  majorit)',  receiving  a  very  lim- 
ited education.  After  arriving  at  mature 
years,  he  continued  working  with  his  father 
for  several  years,  and  on  the  iSth  of  June, 
1868,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lucinda  Lucas,  a  native  of  Ogle  count}', 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Annas  Lucas,  a 
pioneer  of  that  county,  who  made  settle- 
ment there  in  1837  and  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  The  maiden  name  of 
Mrs.  Sivwi  ight's  grandmother  was  Susan 
White,  and  she  traces  her  ancestry  back  to 
one  White  who  came  over  in  the  Mayflower. 
Mrs.  Lucas  has  a  silver  watch  brought  over 
by  her  original  ancestor.  The  watch  has  a 
slip  on  case  showing  that  it  was  repaired  in 
London  in  1600,  and  has  been  an  heirloom 
in  the  lamily  all  these  jears. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Siv- 
wright commenced  their  domestic  life  on 
the  old  homestead  and  as  the  years  went 
by  he  added  to  the  original  eighty  by  pur- 
chasing the  interests  of  other  heirs,  and  he 
has  now  two  hundred  and  thirteen  acres,  all 
well  improved  and  valuable  land.  For 
years  he   was  regarded   as  one  of   the   most 


enterprising  and  successful  farmers  in  the 
township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sivwright  two 
children  were  born,  Alice  and  John  G.  The 
former  married  Herman  Kand,  a  farmer  of 
Mayfield  township,  while  the  latter  yet  re- 
mains at  home,  and  is  a  student  of  the 
home  schools.  Politically  Mr.  Sivwright 
was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  on  account 
of  his  interest  in  the  temperance  cause  he 
has  for  several  years  been  an  advocate  and 
an  earnest  supporter  of  the  Prohibition  party . 
He  served  twenty-three  consecutive  years 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  three  consecutive 
years  as  supervisor,  and  was  later  re-elec  ed 
to  the  latter  office  and  served  two  addi- 
tional terms.  While  on  the  board  he  was 
for  a  time  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
fees  and  salaries,  and  served  on  the  com- 
mittee for  equalizing  assessments  and  was 
on  other  important  committees.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  served  as  township  trustee. 
He  has  always  gi\en  his  support  and  influ- 
ence to  secure  good  schools  and  good  teach- 
ers. Religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  church,  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  for  forty  years.  His 
wife  is  also  a  member  of  that  body  and  for 
some  years  they  were  very  active  in  the 
church  work.  A  well-known  resident  of 
Mayfield  township,  he  is  highly  respected 
for  his  many  excellent  qualities  and  his  de- 
sire to  be  always  found  in  the  right. 


ABRAHAM  D.  GRAVES  is  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  30,  Franklin  township.  He 
is  a  native  of  Maine,  born  April  25,  1826, 
and  is  the  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Anna  J. 
(Young)  Graves,  the  former  a  native  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  latter  of  Lewiston. 
Maine.      The}'    were    the     parents  of     nine 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


children;  Abraham  D. ,  Andrew  J..  Julia 
L. ,  Julius  H.,  Anna  Augusta,  Elvira  T., 
\esta  A.,  Hannah,  and  Nathaniel  Frank- 
lin. The  paternal  grandfather.  Nathaniel 
Graves,  was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  by  trade  was  a  blacksmith.  He  moved 
to  Maine  in  1790,  where  his  death  occurred 
at  the  age  of  sixtv  years.  The  maternal 
grandfather.  Rev.  Abraham  D.  Young,  was  a 
native  of  Maine,  a  farmer  and  minister  in 
the  Christian  church.  Tiie  Graves  are  of 
English  descent,  and  were  early  .settlers  in 
.-\m  erica. 

In  his  native  state  our  subject  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth,  and  received  a  limited 
education  in  the  common  schools.  In  1.S45 
he  came  to  Illinois  'vith  his  parents,  who 
stopped  in  Boone  county  till  the  following 
spring.  In  1846  he  accompanied  them  to 
Ogle  county,  and  in  1848  came  with  them 
to  De  Kalb  county,  when  they  located  on 
the  farm  where  he  yet  resides  Nathaniel 
Graves,  the  father,  was  for  jears  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Franklin  township,  where 
he  served  as  road  commissioner  and  in 
other  local  offices.  He  is  still  living  at  the 
age  of  ninety-seven  years.  .After  coming 
to  Illinois  our  subject  followed  teaching 
for  about  twelve  years,  receiving  at  first  a 
compensation  of  ten  dollars  per  month. 
That  salary  was  obtained  during  the  winters 
of  1845-6.  On  the  13th  of  April,  1850,  he 
married  Miss  Salina  L.  Churchill,  a  native 
of  New  York  and  a  daughter  of  Oliver  and 
Pantha  L.  (Andrews)  Churchill,  both  na- 
tives of  New  York,  and  who  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  the  first  dying  in  in- 
fancy. The  others  were  Salina,  Stephen 
D.,  Charles  C. ,  Edwin  and  Darwin.  Of 
these  Steplien  D.  and  Darwin  are  deceased. 
To  our  subject  and  wife  eight  children  were 
born,    Eveline    S. ,    Fred    E.,     Pantha    L., 


Charles  S.,  Nathaniel  .\.,  .\mos  C,  Bert  E. 
and  John. 

For  about  live  years,  after  coining  to 
De  Kalb  count}',  Mr.  Gra\es  engaged  in 
breaking  prairie  during  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer seasons  and  lollowed  teaching  during 
the  winter.  He  then  followed  farming  and 
teaching  for  some  years,  but  of  late  has 
given  his  time  exclusiveh'  to  his  farming 
operations.  His  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  is  always  kept  untler  the  highest 
state  of  cultivation,  and  shows  that  it  is 
controlled  by  a  master  mind.  In  politics 
he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  has  served 
as  township  assessor  one  year,  township 
clerk  ten  years,  and  township  treasurer  six- 
teen years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  In  ever\-  position 
called  upon  to  till,  he  has  discharged  the 
duties  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  those  in- 
terested. 


NORMAN  C.  WARREN,  residing  in  the 
city  of  Sycamore,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Jordanville,  Herkimer  county.  New 
York,  June  9,  1835.  His  father,  Russell 
Warren,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Warren, 
Herkimer  county.  New  York,  F"ebruary  4, 
1799.  He  married  Sophia  H.  Cleland,  also 
a  native  of  New  York,  born  June  14,  1798. 
Their  marriage  was  solemnized  February  5, 
1S18.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Norman  and 
Wealthy  Cleland.  Her  death  occurred 
March  30,  1837.  Russell  Warren  was  by 
occupation  a  farmer,  and  in  politics  he  was 
a  stanch  Whig.  He  died  in  Jordanville, 
New  York,  October  i,  1850.  He  was  the 
son  of  Lemuel  Warren,  a  farmer  born  March 
23,  1769,  and  who  married  Rachel  Wodell. 
To  Russell  and  Sophia  H.  Warren  six  chil- 
dren   were    born,    four   daughters   and    two 


N.    C    WARREN. 


LIBRARY 

Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Tin:    r.UX  ■KAPIIRAL    KICCOKD. 


sons,  viz. :  \\ealth\  M  ,  J  .  AlliLit.  I  larrict 
A.,  Francis  C.  Marrietla  S. ,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  last,  and  is  now  the  only 
one  living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  '^vew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  state,  and  at  Charlotte- 
viiie,  Schoharie  county.  New  York,  and  at 
Cooperston,  Otsego  county,  received  his 
education.  In  his  youth  he  commenced 
clerking  in  a  store  in  Herkimer  count)',  at 
which  occupation  he  continued  until  the 
(all  of  1855,  when  he  came  to  Sycamore 
and  went  into  the  grocery  business,  continu- 
ing in  that  line  until  1862,  at  the  same  time 
dealing  in  boots  and  shoes.  He  then  went 
into  the  produce  business,  which  proved  un- 
usually successful.  He  continued  in  that 
business  until  about  1886,  and  had  an  in- 
terest in  a  hardware  business  at  the  same 
time  under  the  firm  name  of  Warren  tS:  Ell- 
wood  which  he  later  sold. 

Mr.  Warren  was  married  in  Sycamore, 
.May  8,  1862,  to  Miss  Addie  B.  Brown,  a  na- 
tive of  Sycamore  and  a  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Caroline  (Dodge)  Brown,  the  former  a 
native  of  German  Flats.  Herkimer  county. 
New  York,  born  January  14,  1S12,  and  who 
died  in  Sycamore  July  9,  1895.  (Seesketch 
of  Charles  Brown  on  another  page  of  this 
work.)  By  this  union  one  son  was  born, 
Albert  S. ,  who  attended  the  Sycamore 
schools,  finishing  his  education  at  the  Fari- 
bault, Minnesota,  Military  College  and  Be- 
loit  College,  at  Beloit.  Wisconsin.  He  is 
at  present  residing  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
in  the  employ  of  the  Crane  Manufacturing 
Company,  manufacturers  of  elevators  and 
agricultural  implements. 

Since  1886  Mr.  Warren  has  in  a  meas- 
ure retired  from  active  business  but  still  has 
interests  in  various  lines,  being  at  present 
tiie  president  of  the   Hughes  County    Bank 


in  lUunI,  Siiutli  Dakota,  where  he  also  owns 
iifteen  hundred  acres  of  Hne  farming  lands. 
He  has  also  a  tine  farm  near  Sycamore,  to 
which  he  gives  personal  attention.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican,  and  although  he 
takes  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs 
he  has  had  no  desire  for  office  holding,  but. 
however,  he  was  once  prevailed  upon  to 
serve  two  years  as  alderman  from  his  ward. 
For  nearl\  half  a  century  Mr.  Warren 
has  been  a  resident  of-  De  Kalb  county. 
Coming  in  his  youth  and  with  but  little 
capital,  with  a  persistence  born  of  a  resolute 
purpose,  he  has  succeeded  well  in  life.  .\s 
a  business  man  he  has  ever  been  enterpris- 
ing, and  has  almost  intuitively  been  able  to 
foresee  the  situation  and  be  upon  the  right 
side  of  the  market. 


RKUBEX  J.  HOLCOMB,  e.\-sheriff,  and 
now  deput\'  sheriff  of  De  Kalb  county, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Machias,  Catta- 
raugus county.  New  York,  September  27, 
1839,  and  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
with  his  parents  in  1S42.  There  were 
seven  families  in  the  jiarty  coming  through 
from  New  York  and  they  were  si.\  weeks 
on  the  road,  arriving  on  the  16th  of  June. 
Notwithstanding  his  tender  age,  many  inci- 
dents of  the  trip  are  remembered  by  our 
subject.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival  there 
were  only  six  or  seven  houses  in  Sycamore. 
The  Holcomb  family  in  .America  trace 
their  descent  to  Thomas  Holcomb,  who 
came  from  London,  England,  to  .America 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago. 
Orator  Holcomb,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  w.'is  born  in  Danbnry,  Connecticut. 
He  married  Hatmah  Terry,  also  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  shortly  after  their  mar- 
riage   they     moved    to    Erie    county.    New 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


York,  and  later,  in  1805,  to  the  town  of  Can- 
andagua,  Genesee  county,  New  York, 
where  he  reared  a  large  family.  He  came 
west  in  1842  with  his  sons  and  shortly  aft- 
erwards died,  being  the  lirst  to  be  interred 
in  the  new  Sycamore  cemetery.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Shortly 
after  his  death  his  wife  returned  to  New 
York,  where  later  her  death  occurred. 

Fleming  Holcomb,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Genesee  county.  New 
York,  and  there  married  Louisa  Stone,  a 
native  of  Pollett,  Vermont,  and  a  daughter 
of  Hiram  and  Ann  (Long)  Stone.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  se\en  children,  four  of 
whom  are  yet  living.  Maurice,  who  at  one 
time  served  as  sheriff  of  De  Kalb  county, 
now  resides  in  Fargo,  North  Dakota. 
Reuben  j,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Orator  S.,  who  is  also  an  ex-sheriff  of  De 
Kalb  county,  makes  his  hoi]ie  in  Sycamore. 
Ellen  is  now  the  wife  of  Arthur  M.  Start, 
and  they  now  reside  in  Chicago.  One  son, 
Lynns,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Averys- 
boro,  Norlh  Carolina,  during  theCi\il  war. 

By  trade  Fleming  Holcomb  was  a 
shoemaker,  which  occupation  he  followed 
in  connection  with  farming,  during  almost 
his  entire  life.  In  coming  to  Illinois,  it  was 
his  intention  to  engage  in  farming,  but  as 
money  was  scarce  in  this  new  country,  he 
made  his  trade  a  source  of  revenue  by 
manufacturing  boots  and  shoes  for  the  set- 
tlers. He  continued  to  w^ork  at  his  trade 
until  his  family  insisted  on  his  abandoning 
it  by  reason  of  his  feeble  health.  He  was 
a  man  of  strong  will  and  kept  working  at 
his  bench  long  after  he  should  have  aban- 
doned it.  On  arriving  in  De  Kalb  county, 
he  purchased  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  eighty  acres  of  which  he  held 
until  his  ileath.      In    politics  he  was  a    Re- 


publican, and  religiously  a  Universalist  in 
belief  and  a  regular  attendant  at  church.  A 
strong  temperance  man,  he  was  for  some 
time  associated  with  the  Good  Templars. 
During  his  entire  life  it  is  said  that  he  was 
never  guilty  of  using  profane  language. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-live  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
district  schools  until  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  in  addition  to  which  he  attended  one 
term  at  a  select  school  in  Sycamore,  under 
Dr.  Woodward.  When  of  age,  he  took  a 
trip  through  central  Illinois,  in  search  of  a 
better  location,  but  found  none  better  than 
De  Kalb  county.  Returning  to  Sycamore, 
he  clerked  in  a  store  until  the  fall  of  1861, 
and  spent  the  following  winter  at  school. 
In  the  spring  of  1862  he  engaged  as  a  clerk 
in  a  grocer}'  store,  where  he  remained  until 
the  .August  following,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  A.  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into 
the  service  at  Di.xon,  Illinois,  and  later 
sent  to  Chicago,  where  the  regiment  drilled 
lor  a  few  weeks.  It  was  then  sent  to  Eouis- 
\ille,  Kentucky,  and  joined  in  the  race  after 
Morgan's  cavalry.  His  first  battle  was  at 
Burnt  Hickory,  Georgia.  With  his  regi- 
ment he  was  then  in  the  Atlanta  campaign 
and  with  Sherman  on  the  march  to  the  sea 
He  was  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  when 
Lee  surrendered.  The  regiment  was  then 
ordered  to  \\'ashington  and  was  in  the 
grand  review,  It  was  mustered  out  at  Chi- 
cago in  |ul}',  1805.  Before  being  discharged 
our  subject  received  permission  to  come 
home  and  see  his  father  who  was  then  lying 
very  ill.  He  returned  to  Chicago  where  he 
was  discharged  and  again  returned  home, 
his  father  dying  a  few  weeks  after. 

just  previous   to   his  enlistment,  on   the 
27th  of  iVugust,   1862,  at  Sycamore,  Illinois, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


337 


Mr.  Holcomb  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Corinna  Boardman,  who  was  born  near 
Dundee,  Kane  county.  lUinois,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Tryphena  (Mason)  Board- 
man.  By  this  union  five  children  have  been 
born,  of  whom  Charles,  the  first  born,  and 
Zada  B.  and  Bertie  F.  are  deceased.  Jessie 
M.  married  George  P.  Fulkerson,  a  machin- 
ist in  the  sewing  machine  factory  at  Bel- 
videre,  Illinois.  Minerva  E.  is  housekeeper 
for  her  father. 

On  coming  home  from  the  service,  Mr. 
Holcomb  worked  for  a  lumber  firm  in  Syca- 
more uniil  the  spring  of  iS66.  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  trade  himself,  in  which 
he  continued  until  the  fall  of  1867,  when 
he  became  deputy  in  the  sheriff's  office 
under  his  brother.  He  served  as  deputy 
under  each  succeeding  sheriff  until  he  him- 
self was  elected  to  the  office  in  1872.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1874,  1876  and  1878,  since 
which  time  he  has  served  as  deputy,  with 
the  exception  of  one  term  when  Mr.  Ost- 
rander  was  sheriff.  He  is  one  of  the  best 
posted  men  in  the  county,  and  has  been 
over  every  mile  of  road  in  every  township. 
knows  all  the  leading  men  in  the  county,  and 
during  his  long  term  of  thirty-one  years  in  th  e 
sheriff's  office  has  made  many  friends.  He  is  a 
'  detective  of  recognized  ability  and  has  run 
to  earth  many  criminals.  .At  one  time  he 
was  employed  by  the  authorities  in  Texas 
lo  take  charge  of  a  case,  bringing  a  mur- 
derer to  justice.  He  went  to  Wyoming  and 
as  a  cowboy  traveled  over  the  territory, 
found  his  man,  arrested  and  took  him  back 
where  he  was  tried  and  convicted. 


w 


ILLIAM    H.    WEDDELL  is  now  liv- 
ing  a    retired    life  in    the    village   of 
He  is  a  native  of 


Kollo,  De  Kalb  count\'. 


Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  born 
March  8,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  Wed- 
dell,  a  native  of  the  same  county  and  state, 
born  in  1778.  and  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1 81 2.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Peter  Weddell,  was  also  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, locating  in  Westmoreland  countx- 
in  1757.  The  Weddell  fan.ily  were  early 
settlers  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  where 
Peter  Weddell  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  in  hunting.  Jesse  Weddell  was  reared 
in  Westmoreland  county,  and  there  married 
Nancv  Davis,  also  a  native  of  that  county. 
He  was  a  prominent  farmer  in  Westmore- 
land county,  where  he  was  well  known.  In 
the  fall  of  1 83 1  he  moved  to  Elkhart 
county,  Indiana,  becoming  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  that  county.  In  1828  he  came 
west  looking  for  a  location,  and  was  on  the 
present  site  of  Chicago.  Liking  that  coun- 
try better,  he  settled  in  Elkhart  county, 
Indiana,  and  there  died  in  1838,  when  our 
subject  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  years.  After 
his  death  the  widow  reared  the  family  and 
gave  them  the  best  opportunity  for  advance- 
ment in  life  that  the  country  afforded. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception 
of  the  youngest  son.  growing  to  man  and 
womanhood.  Of  these,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  yet  living,  James  E.  resides 
in  Elkhart  county,  Indiana.  .Agnes  Hedges 
resides  in  Aspen,  Colorado.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Barnard  resides  in  Georgetown.  Colorado. 
William  B.  is  the  subject  of  this  review. 

William  B.  Weddell  was  reared  in  Elk- 
hart county,  Indiana,  and  there  remained 
until  1850,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  purchased  the  land  where  he 
now  resides,  entering  two  hundred  and  ft)rty 
acres  with  a  land  warrant.  After  making 
his  location  he  returned  to  Elkhart  comity 


338 


THi;    l!K)(.KArillCAl.    KlAOKD 


and  there  married,  Januar\-  2,  1850,  Affiles 
G.  Vail,  a  nati\e  of  P'"ayette  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Nancy  (Jeffriesj  Vail,  both  of  whom  were 
also  natives  of  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  early  settlers  of  Elkhart  county, 
Indiana.  Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Wed- 
dell  settled  in  De  Kalb  county  and  built  a 
small  house,  which  in  due  time  gave  place 
to  a  more  pretentious  one.  P'rom  time  to 
time  he  added  to  his  possessions  until  he 
was  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  all  in  one  farm,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  active  farmers  and  stock  raisers  in  I)e 
Kalb  county.  On  his  farm  he  laid  out  the 
village  of  Kollo  and  has  since  built  a  large, 
neat 'and  substantial  residence,  in  which  the 
family  now  reside. 

Mrs.  Weddell  died  November  16,  1881, 
leaving  three  children.  Nancy  Ann  is  the 
wife  of  \i.  Ix  Powers,  a  farmer  of  Paw  Paw 
township.  Charles  W  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  the  township  and  owns 
and  o[)er,ites  a  farm  adjoining  that  nj  his 
father.  Mrs.  lilma  Agnes  PVaser  is  a  widow 
residing  in  Kollo  Mr.  Weddell  has  one  great- 
grandson.  Mctflin  C.  BuUis,  born  May  15, 
189S,  in  Paw  Paw  township,  De  Kalb  count \-. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Weddell,  October 
29,  1889,  married  Mrs.  Cleora  Burns,  //<'< 
Hyde,  a  native  of  Vermont.  Her  father, 
Jonathan  Hyde,  was  also  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, born  at  I^ennington,  of  English  an- 
cestry, the  family  dating  back  to  William 
Hyde,  who  settled  in  Connecticut  in  1637, 
and  died  in  Norwich,  that  state.  Jonathan 
Hyde  married  Phebe  P.  Fillmore,  a  native 
of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Clinton  comity.  New  York,  but  after 
their  marriage  resided  in  Vermont  a  num- 
ber of  years,  l)ut  in  1835  relurned  to  Clin- 
ton county.  New  ^urk,  where  they  remained 


until  1845  and  then  came  west  and  in  184^) 
settled  in  Paw  Paw  township,  De  Kalli 
county,  where  he  spent  the  last  years  of  his 
life,  dying  about  1864.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent man  in  this  count}'  and  held  several 
local  positions  of  trust  and  honor.  Mrs. 
W'eddell  was  educated  in  Chazy,  Clinton 
county.  New  York,  where  she  engaged  in 
teaching.  She  came  to  Illinois  in  1847, 
where  she  continued  teaching  for  about 
three  years.  In  1849  she  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  Thomas  Burns,  who  was  an 
early  settler  from  Cayuga  county,  New  York. 
He  entered  land  and  opened  up  a  farm  in 
Paw  Paw  township  and  there  remained  until 
1852,  when  he  removed  to  California,  tak- 
ing the  overland  route.  He  located  in  El- 
dorado county,  and  for  some  years  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  fruit  raising.  He  died 
there  in  1875.  The\'  were  the  parents  of 
si.\  children.  Ellen  Cleora  died  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years.  Mary  C.  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Worth,  of  Aurora,  Illinois.  Thomas 
]-Illit)tt  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
.Agnes  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Goeble,  of 
California.  Margaret  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Shry,  of  California.  Robert  Simeon 
married,  and  now  resides  in  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship. After  residing  in  California  for  thirty 
jears,  in  1882,  Mrs.  Burns  returned  to  De 
Kalb  county,  and  as  stated  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mr.  Weddell. 

Politically  Mr.  Weddell  was  originally  a 
Whig,  and  cast  his  tirst  presidential  vote  for 
Zachary  Taylor.  He  supported  Fremont  in 
1856  and  has  since  been  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles.  He  has 
never  desired  official  position,  but  served 
twelve  years  as  a  commissioner  of  high- 
ways. In  the  fall  of  1892,  in  company 
with  his  wife,  he  made  a  trip  tn  California 
and    Oregon,    wh(;ire   they    spent   about   two 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


339 


months  visiting  ou  the  Pacific  slope.  They 
are  both  active  members  of  the  Rollo  Con- 
gregational church,  Mr.  Weddell  being  one 
of  the  original  members  when  the  church 
was  organized  in  1864.  He  was  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  church  and  gave  the  lot  on 
which  the  house  of  worship  was  erected. 
He  was  made  a  Master  Mason  about  1863. 
at  Paw  Paw,  and  is  now  an  .Ancient  Mason. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 


SHLBAEL  TERRY  ARMSTRONG, 
circuit  clerk  of  De  Kalb  county,  was 
born  in  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  De- 
cember 14,  1S34.  and  is  the  son  of  Dr. 
Thomas  and  Johanna  Terry^  .\rmstrong, 
both  of  Washington  county.  New  York. 
David  Armstrong,  the  paternal  grandfather, 
was  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  born 
in  1763.  He  came  to  America  in  1800,  and 
here  married  Elizabeth  Creighton  in  .Amer- 
ica, but  of  Scotch  parentage.  He  died  in 
De  Kalb  county,  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight 
vears.  .All  through  his  life  he  followed  the 
vocation  of  a  farmer.  Thomas  Armstrong, 
the  father,  was  born  May  8,  1806.  Graduat- 
ing from  the  Medical  College  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  he  practiced  his  profession  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life.  While  yet 
residing  in  New  Y'ork,  he  served  in  the 
United  States  volunteers  to  prevent  .Ameri- 
cans from  joining  the  insurgents  during  the 
patriot  war  in  Canada.  His  wife.  Johanna 
Terry,  was  a  daughter  of  Shubael  and  Re- 
becca (Hathaway)  Terry,  who  lived  to  be 
sixty-si.\  and  eighty-eight  vears  respect- 
ively. The  Terrys  first  came  to  .America 
in  1660  and  passed  with  honor  through  the 
colonial  period,  some  of  whom  doubtlessh- 
took  an  active  part  in  the  colonial  wars. 


Dr.  .Armstrong  died  in  Sandwich,  Illi- 
nois, in  October,  1888,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  His  wife  died  when  bat  sixty- 
six  years  old. 

Shortly  after  the  birth  of  our  subject, 
the  famih'  moved  to  Erie  county.  New  York, 
where  they  lived  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  old.  .After  attending  the  common 
schools  in  Erie  county,  he  finished  his  edu- 
cation in  the  academies  at  Springville  and 
Fredonia,  New  York.  In  1852  the  family 
removed  to  Rock  county,  Wisconsin.  Bv 
lake  they  went  from  BnfTalo  to  Detroit  on 
the  first  passenger  trip  of  the  famous 
steamer,  Lady  Elgin,  that  later  went  down 
on  Lake  Michigan,  with  her  hundreds  of 
passengers.  From  Detroit  they  went  to 
Chicago  on  the  first  passenger  train  running 
into  that  cit\'  from  the  east.  From  Chicago 
they  went  to  Milwaukee  by  lake,  thence  to 
Rock  county  by  wagon.  In  the  famih"  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  .Armstrong  were  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living:  William,  liv- 
ing in  Hickorv  county.  Missouri;  Shubael 
T.,  our  subject:  David,  living  in  Kansas  City, 
.Missouri:  and  .Anna,  wife  of  Solon  White, 
of  Sandwich,  Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  at 
home  until  his  marriage,  in  Rock  county, 
Wisconsin,  December  14.  1855,  to  Miss 
Eunice  E.  Richardson,  a  native  of  Catta- 
raugus county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  K.  and  Eunice  Thompson  (Curtis) 
Richardson,  the  former  born  in  Washington 
county.  New  York,  July  29,  1799.  He  was 
a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  and  came 
west  during  the  early  settlement  of  Wiscon- 
sin, locating  in  Rock  county.  He  was  a 
Universalist  in  religious  belief.  During  the 
war  of  1812  he  served  his  country  faithfully 
and  well.  His  death  occurred  September 
15,   1876.      He  was  the  son  of   David  Rich- 


340 


fHE   iBIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ardson,  who  died  of  typhoid  fever  in  1813, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  The 
wife  of  the  latter  was  a  Miss  Sweetland, 
who  died  in  1820.  Eunice  Thompson  Cur- 
tis was  born  near  Bennington.  \'ermont.  in 
180;,  and  died  in  Rock  county.  Wisconsin, 


teacher  in  the  art  department  at  Waterman 
Hall.  In  the  summer  of  1898  she  studied 
in  the  College  of  Design  in  Chicago,  and 
also  under  private  teachers.  Anna  is  de- 
ceased. Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Harry  H. 
Everitt,    now   of    Chicago,    who   was   for   a 


at    the   age   of   eighty-one  j'ears.      She  was  number  of  years  a  teacher  of  physical  cult- 

the     daughter    of    Zerubabel    Curtis,    who  ure  in  the  State  University  at   Champaign, 

settled  in    an    early  day  near  the  village  of  Illinois.      Carlotta  is  the  wife  of  Park  Kich- 

Malone,  New  York,  that    place   now  cover-  mond.  a  business  man  of  Chicago.      Nevada 

ing  the  site  of  his  old  farm.     Zerubabel  Cur-  is  serving  as  deputy  under  her  father  in  the 

tis   married    Esther  Thompson,  a    native  of  office  of  circuit  court.      Arthur  is  deceased. 

Scotland,  who   attained   the    age  of  ninet}'-  Politically    Mr.    .Armstrong   has  been    a 

eight  years.      He  also  served   in  the  war  of  life-long   Republican,    having    attained    his 

1812,  and  was    in  the    battle  of    Plattsburg.  majority  in  time  to  cast  his  vote  for  the  first 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Armstrong  presidential  nominee  of  the  party.  General 
moved  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  where  he  John  C.  Fremont.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
engaged  in  railroading  and  civil  engineering  ber  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
for  the  Northwestern  Railway  and  the  Chi-  lows,  holding  membership  with  the  subordi- 
cago,  Milwaukee  cS:  St.  Paul  Railroad.  In  nate  lodge,  encampment,  and  uniformed 
1861  he  went  to  California,  as  mining  engi-  rank  of  Patriarchs  Militant.  He  is  also  a 
neer  and  was  emploxed  at  the  famous  Com-  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  has 
stock  mine,  the  Keese  Rixer  mine  and  other  always  taken  a  prominent  part  inconferring 
noted  mine.5.  In  December,  1864,  he  re-  the  degrees,  being  an  excellent  lecturer, 
turned  to  Rock  county,  \\'isconsin,  where  As  an  official  he  is  always  accommodating 
he  remained  until  186S,  and  then  moved  to  and  ever  ready  to  confer  a  favor  upon  any 
.Milan  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  one  having  business  with  the  office.  As  a 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  four  ^ears,  citi>^en  he  is  enterprising  and  his  friends  are 
teaching  school  during  the  winter  months.  man\'  throughout  De  Kalb  count\'  and 
In  1872  he  moved  to  Sycamore,  where  he  wherever  known, 
engaged  in  surveying  and  railroad  civil  en- 
gineering.     He  also  served  for  a  considera-                                   

ble  length   of   time  as   deputy  county  clerk 

and  deputy   county  treasurer.      In  1890  he  /"^  EORGE  J.  MAURER,  who  is  a  retired 

was  elected  circuit    clerk  and  re-elected   in  V_I    farmer  residing  in  the  village  of  Malta, 

1892    and    1894,    a   position   which   he    still  was    born    in   Germany    October    13,   1835, 

holds,  to  the  satisfaction  of  every  one  hav-  and  is  the  son   of   Frederick   and   Christine 

ing  business  with  the  office.  Maurer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ger- 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  seven  chil-  many,  where  they  resided  until  death.    They 

dren  have  been  born.     Hattie  G.  is  the  wife  were  people  of  respectability  and  worthy  of 

of  Albert  A.  Bishop,  of  Sibley,  Iowa.      Lo-  the     esteem     they    enjoyed.       The    former 

retta  May  is  an   artist  of  fine  abilitj-  and   a  died  in  1840  and   the  latter  in    1853.      She 


THE   BI0GR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


Ui 


was  his  second  wife  and  our  subject  was 
second  in  order   of  birth  by  the  last  union. 

George  J.  Maurer  remained  at  home  in 
his  native  land  until  seventeen  years  of  age, 
in  the  meantime  receiving  a  fairly  good  edu- 
cation, and  learning  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker, which  he  followed  more  or  less  at 
various  times  after  his  emigration  to  Amer- 
ica in  1852.  He  left  Germany  October  6, 
of  that  vear,  by  way  of  Havre,  France,  and 
arrived  in  New  York  forty-seven  days  later. 
He  then  went  to  Rome,  Oneida  county. 
New  York,  where  his  brother,  John,  was 
then  residing,  and  there  remained  three 
years,  si.v  months  of  which  time  he  worked 
at  his  trade.  In  1855  he  came  west  and 
located  in  Pierce  township,  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  In  1S56  he  went  to 
Big  Rock  township.  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  two  years, 
then  returned  to  De  Kalb  county,  where  he 
spent  two  j-ears  in  Clinton  township.  In 
1S66  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land, 
which  he  improved  and  on  which  he  re- 
sided for  a  number  of  years,  selling  the 
same  to  Thomas  Delbridge  in  1863.  The 
same  3"ear  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
thirty  acres,  to  which  twelve  years  later  he 
added  fortj'-eight  acres,  making  him  a  valu- 
able farm  which  he  now  owns  on  section  5, 
Malta  township. 

On  December  20,  1862.  Mr.  Maurer 
married  Miss  Mary  Deily.  born  in  Cook 
county,  Illinois.  January  13,  1841,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  Deily,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  this  country  with  their  respective 
parents  about  1830.  Her  father  was  born 
June  II,  1 8 16,  and  died  in  J 846,  while  her 
mother  was  born  in  1819,  and  is  still  living. 
Bv    this   union    six   children   were  born,  of 


whom  four  are  yet  living:  Frank  E.,  Ida 
M..  Helen  and  Arthur  B.  The  latter  is 
now  in  Cuba  engaged  in  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can war.  The  decea.sed  children  were 
Philip  and  Elizabeth  B. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maurer  are  members  of 
the  German  Evangelical  church,  but  attend 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Malta, 
there  being  no  church  of  their  choice  at 
that  place.  They  are  worthy  people  and 
held  in  high  esteem.  Mr.  Maurer  is  a  tirst- 
class  farmer  in  every  respect,  and  all  that 
he  has  he  acquired  bj-  hard  work,  economy 
and  honest}-.      He  is  truly  a  self-made  man. 


GEORGE  CEARK,  a  retired  farmer,  is 
now  residing  in  the  city  of  De  Kalb, 
where  he  is  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  is  one  of  the  few  living  pioneers  of  the 
county,  which  has  been  his  home  since  1842, 
a  period  of  tifty-si.\  long  years.  He  was  born 
at  Royalton,  \\'indsor  county,  \erniont, 
December  16,  1832,  and  is  the  son  of 
Arunah  and  Clarissa  (Robinson)  Clark,  both 
of  whom  were  also  natives  of  \'ermont.  By 
trade  .\runah  Clark  was  a  carpenter,  and  in 
his  younger  days  followed  that  vocation. 
With  his  family  he  removed  west  in  1842, 
and  settled  in  De  Ivalb  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  seventy-one  acres  of  land  in  its 
natural  state,  but  which  had  been  settled 
on  by  a  "squatter  '  before  it  was  surveyed 
by  the  general  government.  While  the 
squatter  had  no  legal  claim,  his  right  was 
always  respected  to  the  e.xtent  o(  his  im- 
provements, and  he  received  a  recompense 
to  that  amount.  The  father  made  many 
improvements  on  the  land,  but  it  was  left 
to  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  to 
make   it    complete.      He   was    a  highly  re- 


u-^ 


The  biographical  record. 


respected  man  in  the  coiiiDimiity,  and  was 
honored  bj'  being  elected  justice  of  the 
peace,  as  well  as  to  other  township  offices, 
all  of  which  he  filled  in  the  most  creditable 
manner.  He  died  from  the  effects  of  a  fall 
in  I.S68,  when  in  his  eighty-second  year. 
His  wife's  death  occurred  in  the  following 
year.  He  was  twice  married  and  had  se\en 
children  by  the  two  marriages,  onr  sul)ject 
being  the  second  by  the  last  union. 

George  Clark  was  but  ten  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  fiis  parents  to  De 
Kalb  county,  and  in  the  schools  of  Dc  Kail) 
and  Sycamore  he  obtained  his  education. 
When  old  enough  to  labor  upon  the  farm 
he  was  gi\en  his  daily  task,  and  continued 
to  assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm 
until  after  he  attained  his  majority,  when 
he  took  full  control  of  the  place.  The 
father  enjoyed  life,  remaining  on  the  (jld 
home,  while  the  son  bore  all  the  responsi- 
bilities. He  thus  passed  his  life  peacefully 
and  quietly  away,  as  already  stated. 

The  experience  of  our  subject  is  much 
as  other  early  settlers  of  De  Kalb  county. 
He  well  remembers  seeing  the  Indians  on 
their  ponies  passing  along  the  trail  that  led 
by  the  farm,  while  their  arrow-heads  and 
other  implements  of  war  and  hunting  are 
found  in  abundance  on  his  farm.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  February  18,  1858,  with 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Cartwright,  a  native  of  De 
Kalb  county,  born  in  1841,  on  what  is  now 
the  county  farm,  but  which  at  that  time  be- 
longed to  her  father,  James  Cartwright,  one 
(if  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  countw  By  this 
union  two  children  have  been  born;  |ames  A. 
and  Florence  J.  The  former  is  a  practic- 
ing physician  and  surgeon  at  Chicago.  The 
latter,  after  taking  a  full  course  at  Normal, 
Illinois,  has  been  teaching  school  in  De  Kalb. 

After   residing    upon    his    farm    for    fifty 


}ears,  in  1892  Mr.  Clark  removed  tn  the 
city  of  De  Kalb,  where  he  enjoys  the  full 
confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens,  who  have 
elected  him  to  the  office  of  the  justice  of 
the  peace.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  of 
the  party.  His  long  residence  in  Vie  Kalb 
county  has  brought  him  in  contact  with 
many  of  its  best  citizens,  and  wherever  best 
known  he  is  the  most  highly  esteemed. 


SAMUEL  H.  STILES  is  a  retired  farmer 
and  capitalist  residing  in  Genoa.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Naples,  Ontario 
county,  New  'S'ork,  January  5,  1829,  and  is 
the  son  of  Epaphroditus  and  Roxanna  (Lin- 
coln) Stiles,  the  latter  born  near  Saratoga, 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Lin- 
coln, who  participated  in  the  taking  of 
Fort  Ticonderoga.  Epaphrtiditus  Stiles 
was  a  large  farmer  and  merchant,  who  had 
studied  law  and  engaged  to  some  extent  in 
local  practice.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace  and  held  other  official 
positions.  He  died  when  our  subject  was 
but  five  years  of  age.  His  father,  Samuel 
Stiles,  who  was  of  Scotch  and  English  de- 
scent, served  in  the  Re\olutionary  war  and 
lost  a  leg  in  the  service.  He  lived  to  be  a 
very  old  man.  Of  the  seven  children  of  the 
parents  of  our  subject,  two  only  are  living, 
Samuel  H.  and  Eliza,  wife  of  J.  H.  Wood, 
of  Salem,  Oregon. 

Samuel  H.  Stiles  was  reared  in  his  native 
county, and  attended  the  subscription  schools 
at  a  time  when  the  school-house  was  built  of 
logs,  with  puncheon  floor  and  benches. 
Teachers  were  hardly  up  to  the  grade  now 
required  and  usually  received  a  salary  of  but 
ten  dollars  per  month.  \i  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  began  life  for  himself,  working:  a  farm  nn 


tlBRARV 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


SAMUEL  H.   STILES. 


r 


MRS.   S.   H.   STILES. 


1 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIV^SSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


347 


shares.  In  November.  1S49,  in  North  Brew- 
ster. New  York,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Charlotte  Sherratt.a  native  of  Pen  Yan. 
New  York,  who  died  in  November  1886.  The 
newly  discovered  gold  mines  of  California, 
were  then  attracting  attention  throughout 
the  whole  countrj'.  and  with  others  he  was 
taken  with  the  'goid  fever'".  In  the 
spring  of  1850,  he  sold  his  stock  and  farm 
implements,  and  turned  all  his  persona!  pro- 
perty into  cash,  and  started  for  the  New 
Eldorado.  Going  to  New  York,  he  was  at- 
tracted by  the  handbills  of  Parker  H. 
French,  who  proposed  to  conduct  a  train  to 
California  by  way  of  Texas,  in  a  very  short 
specified  time.  Joining  the  company  of  Mr. 
French  he  started  with  him.  but  the  e.xpe- 
dition  was  subjected  to  repeated  delays 
from  the  beginning.  They  landed  at  Ha- 
vana, where  they  remained  one  dav.  was 
three  days  at  New  Orleans,  and  one  day  at 
Galveston,  finally  reaching  Port  Lavaca. 
Here  instead  of  finding  teams  and  spring 
wagons  as  promised,  the  party  had  to  wait 
until  three  hundred  wild  mules  were  broken 
to  drive,  which  consumed  three  weeks. 
They  were  then  delayed  at  San  .\ntonio 
three  weeks,  the  .\pache  Indians  outside 
giving  them  no  little  concern.  One  delay 
after  another  occurring,  and  it  being  seen 
that  their  trip  would  be  indefinitely  de- 
layed, the  party  took  possession  of  the 
train,  ousting  French  at  the  Rio  Grand,  and 
crossed  over  into  Mexican  territory,  where 
our  subject  was  robbed  of  fifty  dollars. 
From  this  time  on  the  sufferings  of  the 
party  were  most  intense,  sufferings  through 
which  it  was  almost  impossible  to  come  out 
alive. 

Securing  a  Mexican  guide  and  forty  days 
provisions.  Mr.  Stiles  was  one  of  a  small 
party  who  attempted  to  cross  the  desert  in- 

IT 


dependently  of  the  others.  Their  guide  got 
lost,  and  four  days  they  were  without  water. 
They  made  their  way  back  to  El  Paso, 
Texas,  more  dead  than  alive.  They  did  not 
despair,  however,  but  continued  their  jour- 
ney, traveling  some  fourteen  hundred  miles 
in  old  Mexico,  finally  making  their  way  to 
Mazatland.  from  which  place  they  sailed  to 
San  Francisco,  being  ten  months  and  seven 
days  since  leaving  New  York.  He  started 
with  five  hundred  dollars  and  arrived  with 
two  dollars,  one  of  which  he  spent  for  a  loaf 
of  bread. 

\\ith  his  co'jsin  Hiram.  Mr.  Stiles  went 
to  church  the  following  Sunday  night,  and 
when  the  service  was  over  he  stood  under 
a  street  light  to  see  if  he  could  not  find 
some  familiar  face.  He  did  not  watch  in 
vain,  but  soon  found  a  friend  who  took  him 
and  his  cousin  to  his  home,  and  the  next 
day  found  them  work  in  a  store,  the  pro- 
ceeds o(  which  replenished  their  depleted 
finances.  Rival  companies  were  then  run- 
ning boats  to  Sacramento,  and  they  secured 
passage  to  the  latter  place  fur  one  dollar. 
From  there  they  worked  their  passage  to 
-Marysville,  fifty  miles  further  up  the  river, 
where  they  secured  work.  From  Marys- 
ville they  proceeded  to  Bidwell  Bar,  on 
the  south  fork  of  Feather  river,  and  from 
there  to  Onion  \'alley.  .After  six  months 
hard  labor,  he  felt  that  he  had  enough  of  it, 
and  returned  home  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  being  seventeen  da^s  from  San 
Francisco  to  Panama.  From  .Aspinwall  he 
took  the  steamer  Illinois,  on  her  first  return 
trip  to  New  York.  Landing  at  Norfolk,  he 
went  from  there  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
deposited  his  gold  dust  at  the  mint,  receiv- 
ing seven  hundred  and  thirt\-five  dollars 
and  thirty-four  cents. 

After  a  seasons  recuperating,  at  his  old 


348 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


home,  having  had  the  Panama  fever,  Mr. 
Stiles  made  a  prosptcting  tour  through  Illi- 
nois, spending  one  )  ear.  Returning  east, 
he  later  gave  Iowa  his  attention,  but  failed 
to  find  a  desirable  location.  He  then  bought 
a  farm  in  New  \'orl<.,  but  in  1855  sold  out 
and  came  to  Illinois  for  permanent  settle- 
ment. He  first  located  in  Kingston  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county,  where  he  ^-et  owns 
three  hundred  and  twent\'  acres,  one  of  the 
finest  improved  larms  in  the  state,  with  a 
residence  larger  than  most  city  residences, 
large  barns  and  commodious  outbuildings. 
He  lived  on  the  farm  until  the  fall  of  1884, 
when  he  removed  to  Genoa,  built  a  large 
residence,  one  of  the  best  in  the  village, 
and  is  now  living  retired.  He  has  fruits  of 
all  kinds  in  profusion,  with  fine  garden, 
flowers,  etc.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  Mr.  Stiles  was  married,  December  14. 
1887,  to  Elizabeth  E.  Williams,  daughter 
of  Chet  Williams,  whose  father  was  a  major 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  wife  of 
Chet  Williams  was  Miss  Sally  Harper,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Esther  (Dean) 
Harper,  her  father  being  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stiles  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  at  Genoa,  and 
they  take  a  lively  interest  in  its  work.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  with  strong  pro- 
hibition leanings.  He  has  held  many  minor 
township  offices,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
De  Kalb  county's   most   estimable  citizens. 


LORENZO  DOW  EVANS,  residing  on 
section  2,  Sycamore  township,  has  been 
a  resident  of  De  Kalb  county  for  more  than 
sixty  years.  He  was  born  in  Ashe  count}', 
North   Carolina,    February   9,   1834,    and   is 


the  son  of  Benjamin  Evans,  also  a  native  of 
Ashe  counts',  North  Carolina,  born  Febru- 
ary 21.  181  I,  and  who  died  in  S)camore 
township,  February  5,  1854,  while  yet  in 
the  prime  of  life.  He  was  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  .Ala  (Mitchell)  Evans,  the  former  a 
faithful  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Benja- 
min Evans  married  Frances  Perry,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Perry,  also  a  soldier  of  the 
war  of  1812,  who  married  a  Miss  Dean. 

The  fall  after  the  birth  of  our  subject, 
his  parents  moxed  to  Illinois,  coming  by 
wagon  through  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  cross- 
ing the  Ohio  ri\er  at  Louisville.  Kentuck) , 
and  the  Wabash  river  at  \'incennes,  Indi- 
ana. They  remained  the  first  winter  at 
Hennepin,  Putnam  count)',  but  decided  to 
remo\e  a  little  farther  north,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1835  located  at  Piano,  Kendall 
county,  where  the\'  remained  three  years. 
The>'  then  moved  to  Charter  Grove,  De 
Kalb  county,  and  located  on  the  (arm  now 
occupied  by  James  Devine.  where  they  re- 
mained three  }'ears,  removing  fr(jin  thence 
to  the  Will  King  farm.  At  that  time  there 
were  few  dwellings  to  be  seen,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  log  houses.  Our  subject  attend- 
ed school  in  an  old  log  house,  usuall\'  dur- 
ing a  term  of  three  months  in  winter.  A 
part  of  the  time  he  walked  two  and  a  half 
miles  to  the  school-house,  returning  each 
evening.  He  afterward  attended  school  six 
weeks  in  a  frame  school-house  in  Genoa 
township. 

Before  Mr.  E\ans  attained  his  majorit)' 
his  father  died,  leaving  him  to  manage  the 
farm.  He  remained  with  his  mother  until 
of  age,  when  part  of  the  farm  of  six  hun- 
dred acres  was  set  off  to  him  (or  his  own 
use.  Since  1859  he  has  lived  on  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  comprises  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  acres  of  prairie  land  and  twenty- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


.M9 


two  and  a  half  acres  of  timber.  The  farm 
lies  partly  in  Genoa  township.  .All  the  im- 
provements now  to  be  seen  upon  the  farm 
were  placed  by  our  subject,  includinf;  the 
large  house,  barns  and  outbuilding'=;.  wind- 
mill and  orchard.  He  has  about  two  mile? 
of  tiling. 

Mr.  Evan,-^  was  married  in  Sycamore 
.\pril  26.  1857,  to  Miss  Mary  Jewel,  born  in 
Ashtabula  county.  Ohio.  March  5.  1S36. 
and  who  came  west  with  her  parents  in 
1837.  Her  father.  Eli  G.  Jewel,  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  was  born  in  Vermont,  but 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Cattaraugus 
county,  New  York,  going  from  thence  to 
Ohio,  when  a  young  man.  From  Ohio  he 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  driving 
through  with  teams,  settling  first  in  the 
country  near  Sycamore.  At  that  time  the 
Indians  were  still  in  the  country  and  timid 
mothers  were  often  frightened  by  their  com- 
ing to  the  house  for  food  and  helping  them- 
selves. Later  he  moved  into  Sycamore, 
where  he  set  up  a  forge  and  for  a  time 
worked  at  his  trade,  but,  giving  it  up,  he 
removed  near  Fort  Lincoln.  Kansas,  settling 
on  a  farm,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1862.  at  the  age  of  about  fifty-si.x  years. 
His  wife  was  Deborah  Rockwood.  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Armah  Rock- 
wood.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living,  and  of  these 
Mrs.  Evans  was  second  in  order  of  birth. 
Eli  G.  Jewel  was  the  son  of  Joshua  and 
.Abigail  TGilbert)  Jewel,  who  moved  from 
X'ermont  to  Cattaraugus  county.  New  York, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  Eli  G.  Jewel  made  two  trips  to 
California,  first  in  1850.  when  he  crossed 
the  plains  and  returned  by  sea.  His  second 
trip  was  made  in  1852,  going  and  coming 
bv  water. 


To  our  subject  and  wife  nine  children 
have  been  born,  of  whom  four  died  in 
infancy.  Those  growing  to  maturity  are 
Frances,  May,  Elmer.  Leroy  and  Nellie. 
Elmer  married  Osia  Sellers,  living  in  Genoa, 
and  they  had  two  children.  Merrill  Leroy 
and  Ray  .Adrian.  Elmer  died  July  S.  iSg8. 
Leroy  is  a  telegraph  operator  at  Apple 
River.  Illinois.  In  politics  Mr.  Evans  is  a 
Republican.  That  he  is  a  friend  of  the 
public  schools  is  shown  from  the  fact  that 
he  has  been  a  school  director,  more  or  less, 
since  attaining  his  majority.  The  many 
wonderful  changes  that  have  been  made  in 
De  Kalb  county  since  he  became  a  citizen 
can  .scarcely  be  realized,  even  by  those  who 
have  been  most  active  in  its  transformation. 
-Amon^  the  pioneers  who  deserve  credit  for 
what  has  been  done  L.  Dow  Evans  stands 
among  the  first. 


NATHANIEL  S.  KELLOGG,  of  Frank- 
lin township,  who  is  actively  engaged 
ill  agricultural  pursuits  on  section  17,  was 
born  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  July  29, 
1 829.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Hub- 
bard) Kellogg,  both  natives  of  Massachusetts. 
Of  their  two  children,  Nathaniel  is  our  sub- 
ject, and  John  J.  is  deceased.  The  paternal 
great-grandfather  Kellogg  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  emigrated  to  this  country 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  son, 
Nathaniel  Kellogg,  Sr. ,  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  John  Kellogg,  the  father, 
was  (or  some  years  adjutant-general  of  the 
state  milita,  of  Nfassachusetts,  and  was  act- 
ively engaged  in  the  Civil  war.  In  1838, 
he  came  west  with  his  family,  and  located 
near  Pekiii,  Tazewell  couiitv,   Illiiii>is.      He 


350 


THE    BIOGR-'VPHICAL    RECORD. 


later  returned  to  Massachusetts,  but  being 
dissatisfied  came  again  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled in  Tazewell  county,  wheiehe  remained 
about  two  years.  He  then  removed  to  Mc- 
Lean count}',  Illinois,  and  ran  a  general 
store  lor  about  twenty-live  years.  He  was 
quite  a  prominent  man  in  McLean  coimt\', 
and  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  thirty-three 
years,  being  the  oldest  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  state.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  yt- ars. 

Nathaniel  S.  Kellogg  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Massachusetts.  After  receiving 
his  primary  education,  he  entered  the  col- 
lege at  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  and  pursued 
a  three  3'ears  course.  He  then  taught  one 
term  in  Massachusetts,  after  which  he  came 
to  Illinois,  in  1S45,  and  located  in  Delevan 
township,  Ta/ewell  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  In  1835,  he  bought  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  McLean  count}',  in 
section  22,  town  22,  a  tract  of  government 
land,  for  which  he  paid  about  fifteen  dollars 
per  acre.  That  land  he  sold  in  the  fall  of 
1864. 

On  the  7th  of  No\ernht-r.  1847,  Mr. 
Kellogg  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
.\lma  L.  Baird,  a  native  of  Becket,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  a  daughter  of  Kendall  and 
Lucinda  (Chafifee  Baird,  both  of  whom 
were  also  natives  of  Becket,  Massachusetts, 
and  the  parents  of  six  children.  Prentice  C. 
-\ba,  .\lma  L..  Fred  K.,  Kate  and  George 
K.  To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children 
were  born.  John  K.,  Kate  L.  and  Pren- 
tice F. 

Since  his  marriage  Mr.  Kellogg  has  been 
engaged  in  various  lines  of  business.  For  a 
time  he  was  in  the  butcher  business  and  a 
dealer  in  stock  in  Rockford.  He  then 
traveled  for  a  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  woolen 


goods  manufactory,  for  two  years,  through 
Dakota.  Nebraska  and  Iowa,  and  for  a 
clothing  firm  in  Rockford.  five  years,  and 
for  a  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  clothiiif;  firm,  two 
\ears.  .\mong  various  political  offices  that 
he  has  held  are  those  of  school  director  and 
road  commissioner.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, a  strong  believer  in  the  principles 
of  the  party.  It  is,  however,  as  an  agri- 
rnltiiralist  that  he  is  best  known,  his  farm 
being  alwa^'s  kejit  in  good  condition  and 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 


BRIGHA.M  P.^  BE.MIS,  deceased,  was 
one  of  De  Kalb  township's  most  worthy 
citizens,  who  in  life  resided  on  his  farm  in 
section  33.  He  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, born  May  25.  1829,  and  was  the  son 
of  Benjamin  Bemis,  w  ho  followed  farming 
during  his  entire  life  and  who  never  came 
west.  His  death  and  that  of  his  wife  oc- 
curred in  the  east.  The  boyhood  and  youth 
of  our  subject  were  spent  in  his  native  state, 
and  his  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools.  He  was  an  early  settler  of  Kane 
county.  Illinois,  locating  at  Sugar  Grove. 
Kane  county,  where  he  lived  some  years, 
engaging  in  farming.  In  1856,  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  county.  Illinois,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  fifty  acres  in  section  33.  De  Kalb 
township,  upon  which  his  widow  now  lives. 
On  the  27th  of  March,  1855,  Mr.  Bemis 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Duffy,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1830,  and 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  Duffy.  Her 
mother  died  when  she  was  but  three  years 
old,  and  her  father  marrying  again,  removed 
to  Illinois,  in  1841.  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1873.  He  was  married  three 
times,  and  had  sixteen  children.  Mrs.  Bemis 
being   third    in    order  of  birth   by   the   first 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICaL   RECORD. 


35' 


wife.  She  was  but  eleven  years  of  age 
when  she  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and 
here  her  entire  Hfe  has  since  been  spent. 
To  Mr.  and  Nfrs.  Bemis  five  children  were 
born,  four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Frank 
W. .  Frederick  J..  William  \V.  and  Burt 
P.  Two  of  these  sons  are  prosperous  busi- 
ness men  in  De  Ivalb. 

For  some  years  prior  to  his  death  Mr. 
Bemis  was  in  ill  health.  In  1882  he  took  a 
trip  to  Florida,  to  regain  his  lost  vigor,  but 
his  trip  was  without  avail,  death  coming  to 
his  relief,  on  April  5,  of  the  same  year,  in 
Jacksonville.  Florida.  Fraternally  he  was 
a  Mason  in  good  standing  and  lived  up  to 
the  principles  taught  by  that  ancient  and 
worthy  order.  Politically  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. .A  loving  husband,  an  indulgent 
father,  and  a  worthy  citizen,  who  treated 
his  neighbors  kindly,  his  death  was  sincerely 
mourned  bv  all. 


1R.\  EVANS,  who  resides  on  section  2. 
Sycamore  township,  was  born  in  Charter 
Grove  within  a  few  rods  of  his  present  res- 
idence on  the  old  homestead,  where  his  par- 
ents, Benjamin  and  Frances  1  Perry)  Evans, 
settled  in  the  fall  of  1838,  his  birth  occur- 
ring January  18.  1841.  His  parents  were 
natives  of  Ashe  county.  North  Carolina. 
While  they  considered  the  Old  North  state 
in  many  respects  a  desirable  place  to  live, 
they  yet  believed  that  the  opportunities  for 
advancement  and  for  the  further  improve- 
men  of  their  children  would  be  much  greater 
in  the  Prairie  state,  and  they  therefore  deter- 
mined to  make  this  their  home.  Leaving 
their  native  state  with  what  has  been  termed 
a  prairie  schooner,  they  passed  through  the 
states  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1834  made  a  stop  at  Hennepin.  Put- 


nam county,  Illinois,  where  they  retnained 
a  few  months,  going  from  thence  to  Piano. 
Kendall  county,  finally  locating  in  Sycamore 
township,  where  they  made  a  permanent 
settlement.  Selecting  a  tract  of  land  in 
section  3,  they  commenced  its  improve- 
ment, and  at  the  death  of  the  father,  which 
occurred  early  in  the  '50s,  he  was  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  the  great 
part  of  which  was  under  cultivation. 

Our  subject  was  but  a  boy  when  his  fa- 
ther died,  and  he  remained  with  his  mother 
until  after  he  reached  his  majority,  assisting 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm.  His 
education  was  obtained  principally  in  the 
old  log  school- house,  with  its  primitive  fur- 
niture and  massive  fire  place.  He  was  mar- 
ried July  20,  1862.  to  Miss  Nancy  Divine, 
eldest  daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Sallie  A. 
(Sherbey)  Divme.  an  e.xtended  account  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  She 
was  born  in  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  in 
the  town  of  Grahamville.  but  came  with  her 
parents  to  De  Kalb  county  when  a  child, 
and  here  grew  to  womanhood.  By  this 
union  two  children  were  born.  Milton  D. 
and  Luella. 

Immediately  after  marriage  Mr.  Evans 
began  farming  on  one  hundred  and  si.xty- 
two  acres,  section  2.  Sycamore  township, 
his  portion  of  his  father's  estate.  He  there 
still  continues  to  reside,  and  there  his  chil- 
dren were  born.  Many  improvements  have 
been  made  upon  the  place  since  it  came  into 
his  possession,  including  the  present  fine 
modern  frame  house  of  tasteful  architecture. 
In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  Republican,  and 
has  served  as  road  commissioner  three 
years  and  for  many  years  was  school  direct- 
or. A  life  long  resident  of  De  Kalb  county, 
he  has  gone  in  and  out  among  the  people 
doing  the  work  at  hand  cheerfully  and  well, 


352 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  is  one  of  the  few  living  pioneers  who 
have  witnessed  the  change  in  the  country 
from  a  vast  wilderness  to  the  most  product- 
ive section  of  the  union. 


PHILLIP  F.  PLAPP,  a  farmer  residing 
on  section  28.  Malta  township,  De 
Kalb  count}',  Illinois,  was  born  in  Pierce 
township,  this  county,  March  17,  1855,  and 
is  the  son  of  Jacob  F.  and  Elizabeth  B. 
Plapp,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Jacob  Plapp  came  to  this  country 
when  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
while  his  wife  accompanied  her  parents  to 
this  country  in  1830,  when  she  was  but 
eleven  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plapp 
first  located  in  Ohio,  and  later  came  to  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  settling  in  Pierce 
township,  where  he  died  in  18S5.  His  wife 
survives  him  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  In  their  family  \vereele\en  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Phillip  F.  Plapp  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  township  and  was  educated  in  its 
public  schools.  When  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority he  began  to  work  out  on  farms,  and 
built  for  himself  a  reputation  for  honesty 
and  industry,  two  principles  which  he  has 
observed  all  through  life,  and  which  must  be 
the  warp  and  woof  of  every  successful  en- 
terprise. On  November  4,  1880,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lucy  A.  Del- 
bridge,  born  in  De  Kalb,  May  14,  i860,  and 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ellen  iCollmorei 
Delbridge.  By  this  union  live  children 
have  been  born:  Althia  M..  October  8, 
1881 ;  Alfred  E. ,  January  17,  1885,  and  who 
died  in  April  of  the  same  year;  Winifred  V. , 
February  14,  1886;  Mabel  E. ,  September 
19,  1888,  and  Clarence  T.,  December  21. 
1890. 


On  January  i,  1883,  Mr.  Plapp  bought 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Ogle  county,  where  he  resided  for  fourteen 
years.  During  his  residence  there  he  suc- 
ceeded by  the  practice  of  hard  labor  and 
economy,  in  accumulating  a  nice  sum,  be- 
sides improving  his  farm,  enabling  him  to 
dispose  of  the  same  at  a  considerable  ad- 
vance on  the  purchase  price,  thus  giving  him 
the  means  of  purchasing  a  larger  and  better 
farm  in  Malta  township,  De  Kalb  county, 
which  he  did  in  1897.  His  Malta  farm 
consists  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  is 
well  situated  and  well  improved,  and  with 
Mr.  Plapp's  methods  of  working,  will  be  a 
golden  spot  in  beauty  and  productiveness. 
Politically  Mr.  Plapp  is  a  Republican,  and 
his  popularity  has  been  such  that  he  has 
been  called  upon  to  fill  various  township  of- 
fices, which  he  has  done  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned.  Mrs.  Plapp  has  been  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  for  the  past  twenty  years. 


EDGAR  M.  PHELPS,  contracting  painter 
of  Sycamore,  was  born  in  Genoa  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  November 
25,  1841.  His  father,  William  Phelps,  was 
a  well-known  builder  and  coiitractor  in  the 
early  history  of  De  Kalb  county.  He  first 
settled  in  Genoa  township  on  a  farm,  and 
in  1844  moved  to  the  village  of  Genoa, 
where  he  remained  untd  1848,  and  then 
moved  to  Sycamore,  having  secured  the 
contract  for  the  erectioti  of  a  new  court- 
house. He  married  Elizabeth  Hollembeak, 
a  daughter  of  Ruloff  W.  and  Electa  (Ames) 
Hollembeak,  the  former  a  native  of  Shore- 
ham,  Vermont,  and  a  son  of  Abraham 
and  Lovina  (Lord)  Hollembeak.  who  were 
also    natives    of    \'ermont.      The    father  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


353 


Abraham  HoUembeak  was  a  native  of 
Holland  and  was  one  of  three  brothers  to 
found  the  family  in  this  country.  Electa 
Ames  was  a  daughter  of  Barnabas  Ames, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  X'ermont.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  William  Phelps,  Sr. . 
married  Cynthia  Marstoii.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionars'  war,  and  died 
when  forty-eight  years  of  age. 

After  the  completion  of  the  courthouse, 
William  Phelps,  the  father,  purchased  a 
steam  sawmill,  which  had  been  in  operation 
in  St.  Charles,  Kane  county,  and  moved 
the  same  to  Sycamore  and  commenced  the 
milling  business.  While  running  the  mill 
he  received  injuries  which  so  seriously 
crippled  him  that  he  was  unable  to  continue 
the  business.  He  later  sold  the  mill,  and 
was  elected  constable  and  collector,  a  do-all 
office  at  that  time,  and  served  one  term. 
He  was  later  elected  sheriff  of  the  county, 
and  served  satisfactorilj'  for  two  years.  He 
was  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind,  and  in- 
vented and  patented  a  churn  that  he  manu- 
factured and  which  became  quite  popular. 
Models  of  several  of  his  inventions  are  now 
in  the  patent  office  at  Washington. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  seven 
years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Sycamore,  and  he  has  since  resided 
at  the  county  seat.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  in  Sycamore  until  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  for  a  time  being  a  student  in  the 
old  school-house  that  stood  at  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Sycamore  streets.  After  school 
days,  he  found  work  on  farms  in  the  town- 
ships surrounding  Sycamore,  until  after  the 
Civil  war  commenced.  He  enlisted  in  Au- 
gust, 1862,  at  Sycamore,  and  was  mustered 
into  the  service  September  2,  at  Dixon, 
Illinois,  as  a.  member  of  Company  A,  One 
Hundred  and    Fifth    Illinois   Volunteer    In- 


fantf)'.  With  his  regunent  he  was  in  the 
battles  of  Resaca  and  New  Hope  Church, 
was  then  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  in 
the  battles  at  Savannah,  Columbia,  Averys- 
boro,  and  Bentonville,  North  Carolina.  He 
was  with  his  regiment  at  Raleigh,  North 
Carolina,  when  Lee  surrendered.  After  the 
close  of  the  campaign,  those  who  were  not 
able  to  stand  the  march  from  the  battle- 
fields through  Richmond  and  Virginia,  to 
Washington,  were  sent  around  by  boat.  Mr. 
Phelps  having  a  large  carbuncle  on  his  back 
was  among  the  number  sent  by  water  to  the 
Capital,  where  he  participated  in  the  Grand 
Review.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago, 
[une  10,   1865. 

On  receiving  his  discharge  Mr.  Phelps 
returned  to  his  home  in  Sycamore  and 
learned  the  painter's  trade  with  a  brother, 
and  was  with  him  for  some  four  or  five 
years,  when  he  began  contracting  for  him- 
self and  has  continued  in  the  business  to  the 
present  time.  His  work  is  principally  con- 
fined to  the  northern  pact  of  De  Kalb 
county  and  he  employs  from  three  to  twelve 
men.  He  has  painted  many  of  the  most 
prominent  public  and  private  buildings  in 
the  vicinitj-  of  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  married  November  23, 
1867,  in  Linnville  township,  Ogle  county, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Martha  Jinks,  born  in  Cov- 
entry, England.  June  14,  1847.  Her  father, 
William  Jinks,  was  born  at  Rugby,  Eng- 
land, where  his  wife,  .\nn  Kidsley,  was  also 
born  and  where  they  were  married.  They 
came  to  America  in  1S52,  sr^^iling  from  Liv- 
erpool to  New  York.  He  came  directly 
west  to  Ogle  county.  Illinois,  and  located 
in  Linnville  township,  where  a  brother  then 
resided.  After  living  in  Linnville  township 
some  six  months  he  moved  to  Kingston, 
where  he  engaged   in   the    blacksmith  trade 


3  54 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAI.    RECORD. 


for  five  years.  During  this  time  he  studied 
veterinary  surgery,  and  when  he  left  Kings- 
ton he  moved  to  his  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
Linnville  township  and  practiced  until  he 
retired. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps  four  children 
have  been  born.  Ada  is  the  wife  of  Tieorge 
P.  Blanchard.  of  Sycamore,  and  they  have 
three  children,  |ames  Edgar,  Merle  and 
Barbara.  P311a,  Lizzie  and  Edgar  William 
yet  remain  at  home.  In  politics  Mr.  Phelps 
is  a  Republican,  his  first  presidential  vote 
being  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker,  but  served  two 
terms  as  township  collector.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mrs.  Phelps  is  a 
member  of  the  I'niversalist  church. 


JAMES  H.  MOORE,  who  resides  on  sec- 
tion 35,  G6noa  township,  was  born  De- 
cember 29,  1835,  3^"d  is  well  known  as  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  township.  He 
is  the  son  of  Voranus  Emory  and  Sylvia 
(Madison)  Moore,  the  former  a  native  of 
Palmer,  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Madison,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
born  in  Ohio,  who  came  west  in  1835,  with 
the  father  of  our  subject,  and  took  up  a 
claim  where  the  village  of  Genoa  now  stands, 
built  a  log  tavern,  the  first  in  the  township, 
and  kept  the  same  for  many  years.  He 
was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the 
township  Later  he  sold  his  property  in 
Genoa,  and  went  to  Texas,  where  his  death 
occurred.  Voranus  E.  Moore  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and  was 
the     first    to    commence     housekeeping     in 


Genoa  township.  He  located  a  claim  south 
of  the  present  village  of  Genoa,  where  the 
Illinois  Central  depot  now  stands.  He  took 
up  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres, 
and  first  built  his  cabin  near  the  river,  and 
later  erected  a  frame  residence  on  the  site 
of  the  Illinois  Central  depot.  When  the 
land  came  into  market,  he  purchased  the 
claim  and  there  resided  until  1S63,  when 
he  sold  out  and  moved  to  McLean  county, 
locating  near  Bloomington,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1880.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Gideon  Moore,  was  also  a  native  of 
Palmer,  Massachusetts.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  farmer  and  gardener  in  his  native 
state.  Later  in  life  he  came  to  Ilhnois, 
where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  nine- 
ty-six years,  four  months  and  ten  days.  He 
had  a  brother  who  lived  to  be  one  hundred 
and  four  years  old. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
his  native  township,  received  his  education 
in  the  old  log  school-house,  attending  school 
during  three  months  in  the  winter.  The 
first  school-house  was  erected  near  the  pres- 
ent farm  of  our  subject.  Pupils  attended 
the  school  from  Mayfield,  Sycamore,  Kings- 
ton and  Genoa  townships,  some  of  the 
pupils  walking  three  or  four  miles  to 
the  school  and  returning  each  day.  Mr. 
Moore  attended  the  school  from  the  time 
he  was  six  years  of  age  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old.  He  worked  on  neigh- 
boring farms  every  season,  raking  in  the 
harvest  fields  when  cradles  were  used. 
He  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  yet  living.  Clarissa  married 
Lysander  Tupper  and  lives  in  Oregon.  John 
H.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch  Henry  and 
Jonathan  F.  live  at  Charter  Grove. 

When    he    attained    his    majority,     Mr. 
Moore  went  to  Kansas  and  took  up  a  claim, 


JAMES   H.   MOORE. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


.15/ 


and  later  returned  and  on  the  3rd  of  Febru- 
ary. 1858.  at  Sycamore,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Adelaine  Miller,  a  native  of 
Newton  Falls,  Ohio,  who  came  west  in 
1845  ^vith  her  parents.  After  his  marriage 
he  rented  his  father's  farm,  and  continued 
renting  other  farms  until  the  fall  of  1867, 
when  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  where  he  now  resides,  together  with 
five  acres  of  timber  in  Charter  Grove.  In 
18S7  his  wife  died,  leaving  four  children. 
Adelbert  is  the  present  citv  marshal  of 
Hampshire,  Ilhnois.  Lillie  married  Henry 
Bartlett,  and  they  reside  near  Charles  City, 
Iowa.  .Alfred  is  a  carpenter  residing  in 
Genoa.  \\'illiam  is  a  farmer  of  Genoa  town- 
ship. 

The  second  marriage  of  .Mr.  Moore  was 
in  1888,  when  he  wedded  Mrs.  Mary  Cra- 
mer, widow  of  Nathan  Cramer,  and  a 
daughter  of  Clark  Henderson,  a  native  of 
V'ermont  and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  in  Barrj- 
county,  Michigan.  He  was  the  son  of  Tru- 
man Henderson.  His  wife  was  Mary  Dake, 
also  a  native  of  \'ermont  and  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Polly  Dake.  Clark  and  Mary 
Henderson  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living.  By  her  first 
marriage  Mrs.  Moore  had  one  son,  William 
Henry  Cramer.  By  her  union  with  Mr. 
Moore,  she  became  the  mother  of  two  sons, 
lames  Henry  and  \'oranus  Emory. 

In  politics  Mr.  Moore  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  John 
C.  Fremont.  He  has  satisfactorily  filled 
several  of  the  minor  township  offices.  Re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Advent 
Christian  church.  In  addition  to  his  gen- 
eral farming  he  is  engaged  in  dairying,  hav- 
itif;  twenty-five  head  of  milch  cows.  For 
eight  vears  he  shipped   to  Chicago    and  for 


two  years  has  been  selling  to  the  creamery 
at  Charter  C,ro\e.  He  is  a  good  and  hon- 
orable man,  and  his  friends  are  main. 


OKIvIX  MERRITT,  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Merritt  cS:  Hadsall,  con- 
tractors and  builders,  Genoa,  was  born  in 
Concord  township,  Cuyahoga  county.  Ohio. 
September  27,  1831.  His  father.  Calvin 
.Merritt,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts, and  moved  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day 
while  that  state  was  yet  on  the  frontier  In 
1844  he  came  to  Illinois  and  purchased  a 
farm  at  Shattuck's  Grove,  Boone  county,  to 
which  he  added  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  fine  land.  On  that  farm  he  lived 
until  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  and  about 
1870  sold  it,  and  made  his  home  with  his 
children  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  d\- 
ing  when  upwards  of  eighty  years  of  age. 
In  politics  he  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and 
was  honored  with  several  minor  township 
offices.  He  married  Eliza  Shattuck,  born 
about  si.x  miles  from  Oswego,  New  York,  in 
1805,  and  a  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Amelia 
Shattuck,  also  natives  of  New  York.  She 
died  in  1851.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Louisa 
Herrick,  Mrs.  Delilah  Hinman.  Orrin.  Mrs. 
Esther  Ingraham,  Mrs.  Selinda  Harris.  Gir- 
den.  Mrs.  Rosetta  Cono\er.  and  Mrs.  Jose- 
phine Landreth.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
.Moses  Merritt,  moved  from  Massachusetts 
to  Ohio,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a 
farmer  during  his  entire  life. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
district  schools  in  his  native  state  until  the 
age  of  twelve  years,  and  then  spent  one  year 
in  a  private  school  at  Cleveland.  Ohio.  He 
accompanied  the  family  from  Ohio  to  Shat- 


J3 


8 


THE    BIOCRAPrilCAL    RECORD. 


tuck's  Grove,  near  Belvidere,  Boone  county, 
Illinois,  where  they  arrived  in  Inly,  1844. 
They  came  by  lake.s  from  Cle\eland  to  Chi- 
cago, and  by  teams  to  Shattnck's  Grove, 
and  were  three  weeks  en  route.  Arriving 
here  our  subject  entered  school  in  Belvidere, 
which  he  attended  until  fifteen  years  old. 
He  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years,  working  during  the  winter  months 
in  the  pineries  in  the  south  and  spending  his 
summers  at  home.  He  would  go  to  the 
pineries  in  the  fall,  where  he  would  spend 
seven  monthschoppingwood  for  steamboats. 
In  the  fall  of  1849  he  went  to  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  he  spent  eight  years  learning 
the  trade  of  ship  carpenter,  at  which  lie 
worked  a  portion  of  the  time  as  journeyman. 
Returning  to  Illinois,  he  bought  a  farm  near 
Shattuck's  Grove,  which  he  cultivated  for 
six  years.  He  then  went  to  Chicago,  and 
for  four  years  was  engaged  in  ship  building, 
and  three  years  in  the  car  shops  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  In  1877,  he  came 
to  Genoa,  and  for  eleven  years  followed 
contracting  and  building  alone.  Since  1888 
he  has  been  in  partnership  with  John  Had- 
sall,  and  they  are  now  the  most  substantial 
builders  in  Genoa. 

Mr.  Merritt  was  married  February  7, 
1850,  near  Shattuck's  Grove,  to  Miss  Mary 
Wilson,  a  native  of  Upper  Canada,  born  in 
October.  1834,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Wilson,  born  in  Lower  Canada,  and  who 
served  in  the  war  of  181  2.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1844,  locating  near  Shattuck's 
Grove,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying  when  past  eighty-one  years. 
One  of  his  sons  served  in  the  war  for  the 
Union.  His  father  was  Christopher  Wilson. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merritt  four  children  have 
been  born — Albert,  Andrew,  Hattie  and 
Henrv.      The  first   named    is  now  deceased. 


Henry  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  union 
being  with  Miss  Cora  Atwood,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children,  Albert,  Jennie  and  Mary. 
His  second  union  was  with  Miss  Nettie 
Thompson  and  they  have  two  children, 
Orrin  and  Harry. 

In  politics  Mr.  Merritt  is  an  independent 
Democrat,  in  national  elections  usually  vot- 
ing his  party  ticket,  and  in  local  elections 
for  the  best  man.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Genoa  Lodge,  No.  768,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  of  EUwood  Encampment  at  Sycamore. 
He  has  never  been  an  office  seeker  nor  an 
office  holder,  serving  only  as  a  member  of 
the  village  board.  Enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive, he  endeavors  to  do  what  will  best 
advance  the  interest  of  his  adopted  town 
and  county. 


PETER  RAMER,  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
ing in  the  village  of  Hinkley,  has  been 
a  resident  of  Illinois  since  1846,  and  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  most  successful 
farmers  in  De  Kalb  county.  He  was  born  in 
Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  4,  1830, 
and  is  the  son  of  Henry  Ramer,  a  native  of 
the  same  county  and  state,  born  August  8, 
1804.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  while  the 
family  are  of  German  descent.  Henry  Ra- 
mer grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county, 
and  there  married  Susanna  Troup,  a  native 
of  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  No- 
vember 2,  1808.  The  early  life  of  Henry 
Ramer  was  spent  on  a  farm,  and  he. choose 
the  occupation  of  farming  for  a  life  work. 
In  I  832  he  moved  to  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  and  there  continued  until 
1846,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  first  locat- 
ing in  Du  Page  countv,   where  he  remained 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


!59 


three  years,  and  then  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  settlinfj  in  Pierce  township.  He 
there  purchased  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  at  once  commenced  the  de- 
velopment of  the  place.  Not  a  house  was 
in  sight  in  any  direction,  although  it  was  not 
many  years  before  neighbors  began  to  settle 
around  them.  He  later  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  si.\t\' acres  additional,  making  him 
a  fine  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres.  The  improvements  that  he  made 
were  all  first  class,  and  on  that  farm  he 
spent  the  last  years  of  his  life,  dying  April 
30.  1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 
His  wife  died  January  9.   1S77. 

Peter  Ramer,  our  subject,  was  the  old- 
est son  of  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters  born  to  his  parents,  all  of  whom 
grew  to  mature  years.  He  assisted  his 
father  in  clearing  and  opening  up  the  Ohio 
farm,  and  also  in  breaking  the  land  and  de- 
veloping the  farm  in  De  Kalb  county.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  as  a  dutiful  son 
until  after  attaining  his  majority.  He  earned 
his  first  dollar  after  the  age  of  twentv-one 
years  by  mowing  for  a  neighbor.  He  was 
married  in  De  Kalb  county,  July  30,  1853. 
to  Elizabeth  Garlach,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  came  when  a  child  with  her  parents  to 
the  United  States,  her  father  becoming  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  De  Kalb  county. 
-After  his  marriage  he  rented  for  one  year, 
and  then  bought  eightj*  acres  of  raw  prairie 
land  in  Pierce  township,  built  a  small  house 
and  straw  barn  and  began  farming  in  earnest. 
He  later  bought  eighty  acres  adjoining,  giv- 
ing him  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  on  which  he  resided  for  many  years. 
In  due  time  the  small  dwelling  house  gave 
place  to  a  more  pretentious  one.  the  straw 
barn  to  a  large  frame  one,  with  plenty  of 
shed   room   for  stock.      He   also  purchased 


one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  additional, 
making  his  farm  comprise  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ramer  seven  children 
were  born,  as  follows:  Wilhelmina.  wife  of 
Adolphus  Harter,  of  Aurora.  Illinois;  Elihu 
B..  a  farmer,  of  Squaw  Grove  township: 
Frankie.  wife  of  Elias  Myers,  a  farmer  of 
Pierce  township,  residing  on  the  old  home- 
stead: Grant,  a  farmer,  of  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship: Ella,  who  is  now  housekeeper  for  her 
father,  and  two  who  died  in  childhood.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  July  26,  1892, 
leaving  many  friends  to  mourn  her  loss. 

Mr.  Ramer  has  been  a  life-long  Repub- 
lican, casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
John  C.  Fremont  m  1856.  followed  by 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860  and  every  presi- 
dential nominee  of  the  party  to  the  present 
time.  He  has  been  honored  by  his  fellow 
citizens  with  several  offices  of  honor  and 
trust  and  in  every  position-  has  discharged 
the  duties  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner. 
In  1890  he  rented  his  farm,  purchased  prop- 
erty in  Hinckley  and  removed  to  that  vil- 
lage, where  he  has  since  lived  retired.  He 
is  one  of  the  official  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  for  forty  years.  For  forty- 
nine  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Illinois 
and  in  the  great  changes  that  have  been 
made  he  has  done  his  part. 


JOHN  HELSON.  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
ing in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Plymouth.  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land. November  24.  18 19.  His  father. 
John  Helson  Sr..  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
Braidwood.  Widger,  Devonshire,  England, 
about  1790.  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventv- 
four  years.      In  his  young  manhood   he  was 


360 


THE    BIOCKAPHICAI.    KlICOKD. 


a  workman  in  the  limestone  quarries,  and 
about  1823  was  nearly  killed  by  a  prema- 
ture blast,  a  piece  being  cut  out  of  his  face. 
After  that  he  engaged  in  general  work  as  a 
common  laborer.  His  wife,  Mary  Harris, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Harris,  was  born  near 
Plvmouth,  Devonshire,  England,  and  died 
when  about  forty-five  years  old. 

In  his  boyhood  and  youth  our  subject 
worked  on  a  farm  in  Devonshire,  but  from 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  for  a  period  of 
nine  years,  he  worked  in  the  mines  in  Corn- 
wall. Lea\infi  that  employment  ho  came 
to  the  United  States,  sailing  from  I-'lymouth 
in  the  vessel  Cordelia,  a  three  masted  ship, 
leaving  April  4.  1848,  and  landing  in  Oue- 
bec,  Canada,  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks 
and  three  days.  From  (Hiebec  he  went  to 
Erie,  Pennsylvania,  by  lake,  and  from  there 
to  New  Castle,  by  the  old  Pittsburg  &  Erie 
canal,  where  he  remained  from  )une,  1S48, 
until  the  spring  of  1851.  Leaving  New  Cas- 
tle he  came  to  Illinois  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  lyinj.;  partly 
in  Kane  and  I)e  Kalb  counties.  He  later 
added  to  his  original  purchase  imtil  he  had 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  well 
improved  land.  In  the  s:pring  of  1851  he 
moved  his  family  to  Sycamore  township, 
and,  lea\ing  them,  went  to  the  Lake  Supe- 
rior copper  mines  and  remained  there  until 
the  fall  of  1852,  when  he  returned  to  his 
family  and  remained  with  them  until  the 
spring  of  1853,  when  he  again  returned  to 
the  mines  and  remained  there  until  the  fall 
of  1854.  Returning  home  he  then  engaged 
m  farming  until  the  fall  of  1870,  when  he 
came  to  Sycamore,  and  has  since  been  liv- 
ing retired. 

Mr.  Helson  was  married  in  St.  Clear 
parish,  Devonshire,  England,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Jane,  daughter  of    William   and   Cath- 


erine (Johns I  Jane.  By  this  union  seven 
children  have  been  born:  George  John, 
residing  on  a  farm  in  Sycamore  township; 
May  Jane,  wife  of  ^^^  \V.  London;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  William  Shuey,  of  Sycamore 
township;  Richard  John,  residing  in  Iowa; 
Louisa,  wife  of  William  Seamans,  of  S\-ca- 
more;  Catherine,  wife  of  Nicholas  Johnson, 
of  Sycamore;  and  Thomas,  of  the  firm  of 
Briggs.  Helson  &  Olson.  Mrs.  Helson  died 
June  22,  1  8g6.  She  was  a  tnember  of  the 
.VI.  E.  church. 

William  W.  London,  the  son-m-law  of 
Mr.  Helson,  of  whotn  mention  has  been 
made,  was  born  in  Grampian  Hills  town- 
ship, Fairfield  county,  Pennsylvania,  Janu- 
ary I,  t84i.  and  is  the  son  of  Richard  W. 
and  Sarah  Ann  (Estes)  London,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Lui^erne  countw 
Penns\l\ania.  He  came  west  with  his  par- 
ents m  1855,  arriving  in  De  Kalb  county 
March  6,  of  that  year.  His  father  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Mayrteld 
township,  which  he  later  sold,  and  pur- 
chased one  on  the  west  line  of  the  city  of 
Sycamore,  where  he  lived  seven  years,  then 
sold  and  bought  eighty-six  acres  in  Cort- 
land township,  which  he  later  rented,  and 
inoving  to  Sycamore  resided  there  until  his 
death,  February  i,  1880.  William  W.  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority when  he  rented  a  farm  for  three  years, 
then  married,  and  rented  other  farms  for 
four  years,  and  later  purchased  land  and 
continued  farming  until  the  spring  of  1895. 
when  he  removed  to  Sycamore  and  is  now- 
living  retired.  His  present  farm  in  Ma\- 
field  township  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  acres. 

In  1870  Mr.  Helson  purchased  residence 
property  on  Cross  street,  Svcamore.  to 
which  he   removed,  but    has   since   given  to 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RFXORD. 


361 


his  daughter.  Mr>.  London,  \vith  whom  he 
makes  his  home.  For  many  years  he  was 
a  me.Tiber  of  the  United  Brethern  church, 
but  is  now  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Re- 
publican, although  with  strong  prohibition 
tendencies.  He  has  held  the  office  of  road 
cotnniissioner  and  school  director  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  since  residing  in  the  county. 
He  was  offered  the  supervisorship  and  other 
offices,  but  refused  to  accept. 


AARON  MOWERS,  of  Franklin  town- 
ship, is  a  self-made  man.  one  of  the 
best  farmers  in  De  Ralb  county,  and  now 
owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres.  He  is  a  native  of  Herki- 
mer county.  New  York,  born  May  10,  i."-'J3. 
and  is  the  son  of  John  G.  and  Catherine 
(Buell)  Mowers,  both  natives  of  New  York 
state,  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children 
^Giddie,  Eli.za.  Sina  and  Maria  twins), 
Levi  and  Aaron.  Of  these  our  subject  is 
the  only  survivor.  The  paternal  grandfa- 
ther. George  Mowers,  was  also  a  native  of 
New  York  state,  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  for  services  in  which,  during 
the  last  years  of  his  life,  he  drew  a  pension. 
By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer.  His  death 
occurred  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

.\aron  Mowers  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  his  native  state  and  educated  in  its 
public  schools.  In  March.  1851.  he  mar- 
ried Margaret  Rickard,  a  native  of  Herki- 
mer county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  .Mary  (Oak;  Rickard.  both  na- 
tives of  the  same  state.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom  are 
deceased,  Nancy.  Peter,  John  and  Pheoe. 
The  living  afe  Margaret,  David,  Louisa, 
.\lva  and  Eliza.       The  paternal  grandfather 


of  .Mrs.  .Mowers  was  Peter  Rickard,  who 
was  likewise  a  native  of  Herkimer  county. 
New  York,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  who 
lived  to  an  advanced  age.  To  .Mr.  and  .Mrs. 
Mowers  seven  children  have  been  born— 
Fayette,  Harvey,  James,  Mary,  Charlie, 
-Allan  and  Lizzie,  the  last  named  being  de- 
ceased. 

.About  one  year  after  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mowers  came  to  De  Kalb  coiintv 
and  located  in  South  Gro\e  township,  on 
section  17.  where  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  government  land  at 
one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre. 
He  at  once  commenced  the  improvement  of 
the  same.  and.  as  his  means  increased, 
added  to  the  area  of  his  land,  until  he  has 
now  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  worth  on 
an  average  seventy-ti\e  dollars  pier  acre. 
In  »11  his  farming  operations  he  has  met 
with  success,  and  is  now  numbered  among 
the  most  substantial  farmers  of  the  county. 
In  politics  he  is  an  enthusiastic  Republican 
and  has  served  as  road  commissioner  three 
years.  His  residence  in  Fairdale  is  a  neat 
and  attractive  one,  and  he  can  well  afford 
to  live  in  ease  and  retirement,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  vears  of  honest  toil. 


CARL  BURTON  CRAWFORD,  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  Genoa  and 
a  dealer  in  groceries,  was  born  in  Genoa 
township,  March  27,  1865.  His  father. 
-Alexander  Crawford,  was  born  in  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  22,  1822, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1828  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Richmond  county,  Ohio,  and 
there  resided  until  1839.  On  the  first  of 
November  of  that  year  the  family  left  Ohio 
and  reached  Genoa,  Illinois,  the  24th  of  the 
same   month,    driving    through    by    wagon. 


j62 


tHE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


His  father  settled  first  in  Sycamore  town- 
ship, where  he  bought  a  claim,  but  later 
sold  it  and  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  died  in 
1867.  Alexander  Crawford,  Jr.,  remained 
in  Illinois  when  his  parents  moved  west. 
He  here  married,  December  25,  1845,  Miss 
Laura  Shurtleff,  a  native  of  Canada  and  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Ruth  (Knappi  Shurt- 
leff, her  father  being  a  son  of  Ichabod  Shurt- 
leff. They  became  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Mrs.  Theresa  Smith,  Henry,  Howard, 
Everhard  and  Carl.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Alexander  Crawford,  Sr. ,  married 
Rachel  Kidd,  a  daughter  of  William  Kidd  and 
a  native  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  She  died 
in  Sycamore  township.  The  paternal  great- 
grandfather, David  Crawford,  who  married 
a  Miss  Wickham,  was  a  native  of  Penns}'!- 
vania  and  then;  spent  hi-;  entire  life. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
(ienoa  schools  until  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  and  for  six  or  seven  years  clerked  in 
his  father's  store.  In  1  Sg.^  the  father  re- 
tired from  business  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  sons,  one  o[  whom  took  charge  of  the 
dry  goods  and  our  subject  the  grocery  de- 
partment. He  now  carries  a  complete  line 
of  staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  has  an  ex- 
cellent trade.  He  was  married  in  Genoa  in 
1880  to  Miss  Luella  Baldwin,  a  native  of 
Genoa  and  a  daughter  of  William  Clark 
Baldwin.  They  have  become  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Vernon,  Vellma,  Frank, 
Aria  and  lone,  the  last  named  l)eing 
deceased. 

In  politics  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  Republic- 
an and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
village  board  one  term  and  township  col- 
lector one  term.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason 
and  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  Knights  of  the  Globe. 


R 


EV.  W,  S.  GRANGE,  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  of  Malta,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Eldredsville,  Sullivan 
county,  Pennsylvania,  April  7,  1857,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  W.  and  Eliza  (Vough) 
Grange,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  of  respectability  and 
prominence  m  his  county  an<i  died  in  August, 
1897.  He  was  of  English  extraction,  while 
his  wife  was  of  Scotch  descent.  She  sur- 
vives him  and  resides  on  the  farm  in  Sulli- 
van count)',  Pennsylvania.  Their  famil}' 
consisted  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  j'et  living.  One  of  their  sons  is  an  at- 
torney at  Whealon,  Illinois.  Each  of  the 
sons  and  two  of  the  daughters  have  been 
teachers  in  the  public  schools,  a  fact  that 
speaks  well  for  their  parents  and  well  as  for 
their  own  ambition  m  that  line. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  third  in 
order  of  birth,  and  was  reared  and  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township.  Subse- 
quently he  attended  Groveland  Seminary, 
in  Dodge  county,  Minnesota,  and  afterward 
took  a  special  course  at  Wheaton  College, 
Wheaton,  Illinois.  On  leaving  college,  he 
entered  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1892.  Four 
years  previous  to  this,  however,  he  was 
ordained    to  the  ministry  at  Dayton,   Iowa. 

Shortly  after  being  graduated  from  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  1892,  Mr.  Grange 
assumed  his  first  pastorate,  taking  charge  of 
the  Congregational  church  at  Atkinson, 
Illinois.  During  his  pastorate  of  this  church 
he  succeeded  in  purchasing  from  the  Pres- 
byterians a  building  in  the  country  which 
formed  a  mission  field  for  his  church.  He 
improved  the  property  of  his  own  church  by 
adding  a  lecture  roonj  and  pastor's  study. 
During  this  pleasant    pastorate,  his  congre- 


THE   BIOGR.\fHICAL   RECORD. 


36^ 


gation  almost  doubled,  and  his  membership 
increased  very  nearly  in  the  same  propor- 
tion. 

It  was  during  his  residence  in  .\tkinson 
that  Mr.  Grange  saw  the  necessity  of  having 
files  for  sermons  and  clippings.  He  put  his 
mind  to  work  on  this  matter  and.  being  a 
practical  man,  he  has  brought  out  as  a  re- 
sult of  his  concentration  of  thought,  one  of 
the  most  useful  files  for  all  kinds  of  business 
that  is  in  the  market  to-day.  These  files 
cases  are  indorsed  b\-  such  men  as  Rev.  Fred 
Brown.  La  Harpe.  Illinois;  Rev.  Marion  D. 
Shutler.  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Rev.  Cyrus 
Northrup,  president  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota;  Rev.  \\'illiam  Stevens  Perry. 
Bishop  of  Iowa,  and  man\-  others.  The 
business  of  manufacturing  these  files  has 
grown  on  his  hands  very  largely  and  as  the 
files  become  known  it  will  still  more  largely 
increase. 

On  the  23d  of  April.  1884,  .Mr.  Grange 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Florence 
Douglas,  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in 
1 868,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary 
Douglas.  By  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  three  of  whom  are  now^  living: 
Earl,  Ross  and  John.  Mrs.  Grange  departed 
this  life  September  23,  1892,  dying  in  the 
full  assurance  of  faith.  For  his  second  wife, 
on  lune  19.  1893.  Mr.  Grange  married  .Miss 
Helen  Tibbetts.  a  native  of  Dodge  county. 
Minnesota,  and  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and 
Helen  Tibbetts. 

In  1896  Mr.  Grange  moved  to  Wheaton, 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  about 
nine  months.  From  Wheaton  he  was  called 
to  Malta,  where  he  now  enjoys  the  pleasant 
and  profitable  pastorate  with  the  full  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  his  parishoners. 
Besides  being  pastor  of  the  church.  Mr. 
Grange  is  pursuing  his  business  of  rile  mak- 


ing. Although  he  has  resided  in  Malta  a  com- 
paratively short  time  he  has  made  many 
friends  and  his  mfluence  is  verv  great. 


WILLI.A.M  L.  KING,  a  farmer  residing 
on  section  3,  Sycamore  township, 
was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides 
December  7.  1872.  and  was  the  only  son  of 
.Alfred  and  Mary  Belinda  (Evans)  King,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  When  seven  years  of  age,  the  family 
moved  to  a  farm  one-half  mile  north  in 
Genoa  township,  and  on  that  farm  and  one 
adjoining,  owned  by  his  father,  he  remained 
until  his  marriage,  in  the  spring  of  1894. 
In  the  district  schools  he  obtained  his  edu- 
cation, attendint;  principally  in  the  winter 
months  until  twenty  years  of  age.  He  has 
grown  up  on  the  farm  and  has  always  given 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  rented  his  father's 
place  one  season,  then  married  and  came  to 
his  present  farm,  which  consists  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  seven  acres. 

Mr.  King  was  married  February  21. 
1894,  to  Miss  Julia  Mary  Whitacre.  a  daugh- 
ter of  Edwin  .A.  and  Susan  (Warner)  Whit- 
acre. both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Muncie 
township.  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania, 
the  former  born  December  2.  1844,  and  the 
latter  June  28,  1844.  They  were  married 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1868,  and  there  resided 
until  1873,  when  they  removed  to  Spring 
township.  Boone  county,  Illinois,  where 
thev  resided  until  February,  1884,  when 
they  came  to  Sycamore  township.  De  Kalb 
county,  where  Mr.  Whitacre  has  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  four  acres.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children:  James,  Julia 
Mar\.  .Alfred.  .Arthur.   William    and    Leslie. 

To    .Mr.    and    .Mrs.    King  one    child    has 


364 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


been  born,  Dorothy.  They  reside  in  a 
pleasant  home  where  Mr.  King  is  engaged 
in  general  farming.  Since  taking  possession 
of  the  farm,  he  has  put  in  tiling  and  has  re- 
built the  house,  erected  outbuildings  and 
made  considerable  repairinj^.  The  place  is 
in  good  condition,  and  the  farm  is  a  very 
productive  one.  In  politics  Mr.  King  is  a 
Republican. 


AKAMOXT  NOBLE  HOLLEMBEAK 
is  a  well-known  retired  farmer  residing 
in  Genoa,  one  of  the  few  living  pioneers  of 
De  Kalb  county.  He  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Warsaw,  Genesee  county.  New  York, 
February  5,  18 16,  and  is  the  son  of  Ruloff 
W.  HoUembeak,  who  was  born  in  Shore- 
ham,  X'eriiioiit,  about  iJi^S-  He  was  a 
hatter  b\  trade,  and  moved  to  Genesee 
county,  New  York,  prior  to  1 8 16,  and  later 
moved  to  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania. 
His  death  occurred  in  Crawford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1S30,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
live  years.  He  married  Electa  Ames,  a 
daughter  of  Barnabus  Ames,  who  married  a 
Miss  Noble.  The  Ames'  are  :.n  old  New 
England  family.  To  Ruloff  \V.  and  Electa 
HoUembeak,  nine  children  were  born,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  attaining 
maturity  were:  Electa,  Betsy,  Aramont 
N.,  .\lfred,  Abram.  William,  and  .\my. 
Of  these,  Electa.  Betsy.  .Alfred  and 
.\bram  are  deceased.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Abraham  HoUembeak,  was  a  native 
of  \'ermont,  and  when  a  young  man  moved 
to  Canada,  and  later  to  Crawford  county. 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  when  about 
ninet\-  years  old.  His  wife  was  Miss  Lo- 
viua  Lord.  Ruloff  \\".  HoUembeak  was  a 
descendant  of  one  of  three   brothers,  John, 


Clark  and  George,  who  came  (rom  Holland 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  about  six 
years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Beaver. 
Crawford  county,  Pennnsylvania.  His  fa- 
ther died  when  he  was  about  fourteen  years 
of  age.  and  he  continued  under  the  parental 
roof  until  the  age  of  si.\teen  years,  when  he 
went  to  Conneaul  Lake,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three 
years  in  learning  the  wagonniaker's  trade. 
He  then  returned  to  Conneaut,  Ohio,  and 
worked  about  three  years,  and  from  there 
went  to  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania.  On 
the  1 2th  of  January.  1838,  in  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Parmelia  Decker.  Elder 
Jesse  Church  officiating.  She  is  a  native  of 
Manchester,  Genesee  county.  New  York, 
born  Ma\-  17,  1817.  and  a  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  -Amy  (Barney)  Decker.  She  em- 
igrated to  Crawford  county.  Pennsylvania, 
with  her  mother,  her  father  having  died  in 
New  York. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Hol- 
lembeak  came  to  Boone  county.  Illinois, 
and  spent  the  winter  at  Shattuck's  Grove. 
Leaving  his  wife  at  the  Grove  he  went  to 
Chicago  and  found  work  at  his  trade  during 
the  winter.  On  his  return  in  the  spring  he 
built  a  log  house  on  his  claim,  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  which  was  in  De  Ivalb 
county,  and  that  season  broke  twenty 
acres.  .Mr.  HoUembeak  has  still  his  patent 
from  the  government,  the  land  never  hav- 
ing been  transferred.  In  his  log  cabin  he 
put  up  a  bench,  using  the  house  for  a  shop 
as  well  as  dwelling.  In  an  earlj'  day  Mr. 
HoUembeak  had  quite  a  reputation  for  cur- 
ing poll  evil  in  horses.  On  that  farm  he 
resided  until  1877,  and  during  the  interven- 
ing vears,    like    all    other  settlers,    had   his 


LISRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITy  OF   ILLINOIS 


^■■^H 

^^m^        ^^H 

^^^^^^^^^^K^KJBL^-'     ^^^^^                                                                                   ^^^l^^k^^k              ^^^t^^M 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^l^^^^^  ^  ^K- 

A.    N.    HOLLEMBEAK. 


MRS.  A.   N.   HOLLEMBEAK. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVEROITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


569 


seasons  of  prosperit\'  and  seasons  of  adver- 
sity. On  the  whole  he  has,  however,  done 
better  than  most  men  who  began  as  he  did 
with  nothing  but  wilHng  hands  and  strong 
heart  for  capital.  Being  of  an  ingenious 
turn  of  mind  he  has  invented  and  taken  out 
patents  on  barb  wire  and  various  other  de- 
vices, including  a  wind  mill,  which  he  man- 
ufactured for  a  number  of  years. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hollembeak  si.\  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  ( i )  Delia  Ann  married 
Frederick  Totten  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Charles,  William  and  Etta.  Charles 
married  Zeni  P.  Ploss  and  has  had  four 
children,  George,  Fern,  Ruth  and  Frank, 
deceased.  William  married  Ella  Sheely. 
and  they  have  five  children.  Ethel.  Flossie. 
Frederick.  Annie  and  Grace.  William  died 
in  July,  189S.  Etta  married  F"rank  Cham- 
plain,  and  their  three  children  are  Blanche. 
William  and  Louie.  [2)  Alfred  S.  married 
Blanche  Cohoon.  (3)  Henry  C.  first  mar- 
ried Emily  Sackville.  and  they  had  two 
children.  Emily,  deceased,  and  Oscar.  His 
second  union  was  with  Millie  Noble.  4) 
Emily  married  George  Ide.  and  their  chil- 
dren were  Harry  and  Ralph,  both  deceased. 
(5)  Ruloff  W.  married  Emma  Brown,  and 
their  children  are  Harry  and  Roy.  (6) 
Ralph  D.  married  Lil\-  Brown,  and  they 
have  one  child  living.  Helen. 

In  1877  Mr.  Hollembeak  erected  a  com- 
fortable cottage  in  Genoa  where  he  moved 
with  his  family,  and  has  since  been  living 
quietK'  at  peace  with  the  world.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hollembeak.  are  Spiritualists  in  re- 
ligious belief.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  times  passed  took  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs.  He  served  as 
supervisor  of  his  township  two  terms,  sev- 
eral terms  as  assessor,  and  also  held  other 
minor  offices,  and  served  six  vears  as  police 

18 


justice  in  Genoa.  For  about  forty  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
lodge  at  Genoa. 

On  the  1 2th  of  January,  189S,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hollembeak  celebrated  their  sixtieth 
wedding  anniversary.  About  thirty  relatives 
were  present  to  partake  of  the  festivities. 
The  day  was  spent  in  an  enjoyable  manner 
and  all  had  a  glorious  good  time.  .An 
elaborate  dinner  was  served,  the  tables 
fairlj'  groaning  under  the  load  of  good 
things. 

At  one  table  the  host  and  hostess  sat 
with  their  own  family  as  follows:  Mrs.  .\. 
N.  Pond.  Mr.  Hollembeak's  sister.  William 
Hollembeak,  his  brother:  Edgar  Phelps, 
son  of  his  sister,  Betsey  Phelps,  and  Mrs. 
Gardner,  daughter  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Farr. 
The  children  sat  at  the  table  as  they  did 
when  they  were  all  living  at  home.  Delia 
Ann  and  Alfred  sat  next  their  father,  while 
Ralph,  Vuluff  and  Emily  were  placed  next 
to  their  mother  in  the  order  of  their  ages, 
the  line  being  broken  by  the  absence  of 
Henry.  Delia  Ann  is  the  oldest  and  Ralph 
the  youngest  child.  On  this  table  an  elegant 
cake  was  placed  in  which  sixty  candles 
were  burning,  emblematic  of  the  number  of 
years  of  connubial  bliss.  The  other  table 
was  surrounded  by  the  rest  of  the  relatives. 

The  reception  room  was  beautifully 
decorated  with  evergreen,  flowers,  etc., 
presenting  a  very  pretty  appearance.  On 
the  east  wall  over  the  parlor  door  were  the 
words  '•  welcome,"  on  the  south  wall  the 
words  ••  i838-Anniversary-i898  "  and  on 
the  west  "  Sixtieth.  .\s  a  token  of  respect 
the  relatives  presented  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hol- 
lembeak with  a  handsomely  made  oak  ex- 
tension table  and  their  own  children  gave 
them  a  beautiful  set  of  dining-room  chairs. 
It  was  indeed  a  pleasant  and    most   uiuisual 


370 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECOtlt). 


affair  and  those  who  were  in  attendance 
will  long  remember  it  as  one  of  the  happi- 
est events  of  .their  lives.  About  dusk  the 
guests  departed  for  their  respective  homes 
after  wishing  the  host  and  hostess  many 
happy  returns  of  the  day. 

Those  present  were:  Messrs.  and  Mes- 
dames  William  Hollenibeak,  Edgar,  Phelps, 
Frank  Hollembeak,  Abram  Hollembeak, 
George  Blanchard  and  the  Misses  Eva 
Phelp  and  Grace  Hollembeak,  of  Sycamore; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph  Hollembeak  and  daugh- 
ter, of  Elgin;  Messrs.  and  Mesdames  A.  H. 
Pond,  D.  S.  Brown,  A.  R.  Cohoon,  A.  Co- 
hoon,  Gardner  and  Ralph  Hollembeak,  of 
Genoa;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Will  Pond,  of  De  Kalb. 


JOHN  TISCHHOUSER,  contractor  and 
builder,  resides  on  De  Kalb  avenue, 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, born  in  the  village  of  Sevelen,  Can- 
ton St.  Gallen.  December  29,  1849,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Rosa  (Gedint)  Tisch- 
houser,  the  former  born  in  Russia,  but  was 
reared  in  Canton  St.  Gallen,  Switzerland, 
August  15,  1813,  and  the  latter  in  Canton 
Grau-Buenden,  Switzerland.  The  paternal 
y'randfather,  Simon  Tischhouser,  learned 
the  confectioner's  trade  in  Brussels  and 
.\ntwerp,  worked  many  years  in  England, 
came  to  America,  and  made  his  wa}-  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  built  and  operated  the  first 
baker's  oven  in  the  city,  or  village  as  it  was 
then.  He  recrossed  the  Atlantic,  worked 
for  a  time  in  Spain,  then  went  to  Italy,  and 
later  joined  the  army  of  Napoleon.  He  was 
in  the  Russian  campaign,  was  captured,  and 
later  joined  the  Russian  army,  and  in  due 
time  was  commissioned  captain,  a  position 
he  held  for  eight  years,  and  then  retired  on 
a  pension.      He  was   six    feet    si.x   inches  in 


height,  was  never  sick,  never  needed  glasses, 
teeth  good  until  his  death,  heavy  head  of 
hair,  and  very  powerful  and  vigorous  during 
his  entire  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
nine  years  and  se\en  months. 

John  Tischhouser,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, studied  veterinary  surgery  seven  years 
in  Switzerland,  after  which  he  practiced  the 
profession  there  until  coming  to  America, 
and  on  his  arrival  here  resumed  practice, 
and  continued  the  same  until  his  death.  He 
died  at  the  residence  of  a  daughter  in  Mich- 
igan in  1894.  Like  his  father  before  him, 
he  was  an  exceedingly  strong  man  and 
could  easily  carry  seven  hundred  pounds 
weight.  In  height  he  was  six  feet  four 
mches,  and  weighed  two  hundred  and  tiftj' 
pounds.  His  wife,  Rosa  Gedint,  was  the 
daughter  of  Casper  Gedint,  who  in  middle 
life  was  accidentally  killed  in  the  forest  on  the 
mountain  side  by  a  log  rolling  on  him. 
His  wife,  Catherina,  died  in  Switzerland  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  Mrs.  Rosa 
Tischhouser  died  in  1871.  She  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are 
yet  living. 

John  Tischhouser,  our  subject,  li\ed  in 
Switzerland  until  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
and  there  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  Leaving  home,  he  went  to  .Ant- 
werp by  rail,  thence  by  canal  to  the  sea, 
and  embarked  April  6,  1865,  in  a  three- 
masted  sailing  vessel,  for  the  United  States. 
In  mid-ocean  his  vessel  spoke  a  steamer 
conveying  news  of  Lincoln's  assassination. 
Our  subject  was  so  delighted  to  see  a  vessel 
with  other  human  beings — anything  from 
land — that  he  climbed  the  mast  to  watch  it 
as  long  as  visible.  Passengers  were  not 
allowed  in  the  riggings,  but  Mr.  Tischhouser 
being  a  venturesome  youth,  climbed  to  the 
top  of   the  mast   and  took  a   gold  ball  from 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


371 


it.  He  was  arrested  by  a  sailor  and  taken 
before  the  captain,  but  so  won  his  favor 
that  he  was  not  punished,  and  the  captain 
became  a  good  friend  to  him  during  the  rest 
of  the  voyage.  It  was  a  stormy  passage, 
and  their  vessel  was  driven  nearly  to  the 
coast  of  Greenland.  Its  masts  were  blown 
away,  supplies  of  food  ran  low,  and  water 
was  very  scarce  and  very  foul — worse  than 
pond  water — yet  passengers  would  have 
been  glad  to  steal  even  a  pint  of  it  had 
guards  not  been  kept  over  the  water  barrels. 

After  a  voyage  of  one  hundred  and  four 
days  and  four  days  in  quarantine,  landed  at 
Castle  Garden,  New  York,  June  13,  1865. 
After  a  few  days  spent  in  New  York,  by  rail  he 
came  west  to  Chicago  where  he  secined 
work  as  hostler  in  a  hotel  at  thirt)'  dollars 
a  month,  a  munificent  income  to  a  foreign 
born  bow  The  work  kept  liiui  up  nearly 
all  night,  and  was  too  fatiguing,  so  he  quit 
and  worked  in  a  brick  yard  for  a  time  on 
Goose  Island  at  two  dollars  and  a  half  per 
day,  and  thought  himself  a  millionaire.  He 
ne.xt  went  to  Kane  county,  Illino-'s,  and 
worked  on  a  farm  near  Dundee  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  at  twenty-five  dollars  per 
month.  Being  a  large  and  strong  youth 
and  a  good  worker  he  always  commanded 
the  highest  wages.  From  Dundee  he  went 
to  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  worked  on  the 
farm  of  a  fellow  countryman  at  good  wages 
and  then  went  with  some  friends  to  St. 
Louis,  and  from  there  to  southern  Illinois 
where  he  worked  in  a  saw  mill  for  about 
eighteen  months,  after  which  he  spent 
nearly  a  year  in  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota, 
and  from  the  latter  state  returned  to  Wis- 
consin, and  at  Oshkosh  worked  two  sum- 
mers and  spent  one  winter  in  saw  mills 
and  a  lumber  camp. 

From  the  saw   mills    and    lumber  camps 


of  Wisconsin  he  crossed  the  plains  and  spent 
about  a  year  in  Oregon  and  California, 
then  returned  east,  and  at  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  worked  one  year  on  the  water  tower, 
and  while  there  had  an  exciting  experience, 
narrowly  escaping  death  by  stepping  off  the 
ri\er  bridge  a  few  seconds  before  it  went 
down  under  the  weight  of  some  si.x  hunilred 
and  forty  ponies  that  stampeded,  nearlj-  the 
entire  number  getting  on  the  bridge  at 
once,  instead  of  a  few  at  a  time,  as  it  was 
intended  should  be  done.  From  Des  Moines 
In-  went  to  West  Bend,  NVisconsin,  where 
during  the  next  four  years  he  finished 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade  which  he  had 
previously  begun,  .\fter  spending  two  years 
at  Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  he  went  to  Chicago 
where  he  remained  until  April,  1875,  when 
lie  removed  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  since  continued  to  reside,  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building.  Since  removing 
to  Sycamore  he  has  erected  eighty-seven 
barns  in  the  countr\\  thirts-two  residences 
in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  fourteen  residences 
in  the  country  near  by,  and  about  twenty 
residences,  stores  and  school-houses  in  Rock- 
ford,  Belvidere,  Kirkland,  Kingston,  f^Hmp- 
shire  and  other  surrounding  towns.  For 
Joseph  Glidden,  near  De  Kalb,  he  erected 
one  of  the  largest  barns  in  the  state,  being 
sixty-five  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  At 
Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  he  built  a  barn  sixty- 
four  by  two  hundred  feet,  with  an  extension 
for  mill  purposes. 

Mr.  Tischliouser  was  united  in  marriage 
January  2.  1872,  with  Mis.-:  Louisa  Claire 
Leech,  a  native  of  Kenosha,  Wisconsin, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  E.  Leech,  of  Lan- 
caster, England,  who  married  a  Miss  Tur- 
ner, of  Y'orkshire,  England,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  .\braham  Turner.  By  this  union 
there  are  seven  children:      .\rthur.  a  gradu- 


372 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ate  of  the  Sycamore  high  school,  and  now 
foreman  in  the  can  factory;  Delford  Lee, 
working  in  the  factory  under  his  brother; 
Rosa  May  and  Millie  Edna,  at  home;  John, 
deceased;  Clarence  Raymond  and  John  Ed- 
ward, at  home.  Fraternally  Mr.  Tischhous- 
er  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  National  Union. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  now 
serving  as  alderman  of  the  city. 


ARTHUR  ALLISON  is  numbered  among 
the  young  and  progressive  fanners  of 
De  Kalb  county.  He  is  a  native  of  Frank- 
lin township,  born  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides  October  lo,  1869.  His  father, 
James  T.  Allison,  was  born  in  Burnside 
township,  Cleartield  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  22,  1S32.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents, Andrew  and  Mary  (Lee)  Allison, 
were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  James  T. 
is  the  sole  survivor.  He  was  left  an  orphan 
when  but  two  years  old  by  the  death  of  his 
mother,  and  resided  with  his  father  until 
ten  years  of  age  and  then  made  his  home 
with  his  grandfather,  Jacob  Lee,  until  he 
was  eighteen  years  old,  his  education  be- 
ing received. in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  state.  In  1855  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  Boone  county,  where  he 
worked  by  the  day  and  month.  He  made 
his  first  purchase  of  land  in  1861,  buying  a 
tract  of  forty  acres,  to  which  he  kept  adding 
as  his  means  increased  until  he  has  now  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  well  cultivated 
land.  He  was  married  on  the  20th  of  Sep- 
tember, i860,  to  Margaret  Wood,  a  native 
of  Canada,  and  to  them  were  born  three 
children,  Elizabeth,  John  F.  and  Arthur. 
The    two    sons    now    run    the    home   farm. 


Elizabeth  married  Charles  Miner,  a  mer- 
chant of  Kirkland.  For  twelve  years  James 
C.  Allison  served  as  school  director  and  was 
five  years  road  commissioner.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 

On  the  home  farm  .\ithur  .\llison  grew 
to  manhood  and  attended  school  at  Kirk- 
land for  two  jears  after  leaving  his  district 
school.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway 
Company  and  was  fireman  on  an  engine  for 
five  years.  On  the  7th  of  July,  1892,  he 
married  Myrtle  Byers,  a  daughter  of  A.  B. 
Byers,  of  South  Grove  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ruth  E. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allison  have  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  good  land,  a 
portion  of  her  father's  estate.  They  reside, 
however,  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  general  fanning  and  stock  rais- 
ing.     In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  Republican. 


H 


ENRY  H.  SLATER,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  general  mercantile  business  at 
(jenoa,  Illinois,  is  one  of  the  best  known 
citizens  in  the  northern  part  of  De  Kalb 
county.  He  was  born  in  Hunterdon  coun- 
ty. New  Jersey,  October  31,  1838,  and  is 
the  son  of  Samuel  Slater, and  the  grandson  of 
Henry  Slater,  who  spent  his  entire  life  in  New 
Jersey, and  who  died  when  about  sevent\-five 
years  of  age.  The  family  are  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. Samuel  Slater  was  born  in  Hunterdon 
county.  New  Jersey,  in  18 16.  He  married 
Rhoda  Burroughs  a  daughter  of  Timothy  anil 
Phebe  (Green)  Burroughs,  the  latter  being  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Green  of  New  Jersey, 
who  married  Elizabeth  Gillis,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  came  to  America  when  about 
fourteen  years  old.  Timothy  Burroughs 
was    a  great-grandson  of    John    Burroughs, 


< 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


who  moved  from  Long  Island  to  Trenton. 
New  Jersey,  and  was  one  of  the  first  sher- 
iffs of  that  county.  He  was  followed  by 
his  son  John,  and  the  latter  by  a  son  ot  the 
same  name,  who  was  the  father  of  Timothy. 
The  third  John  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  and  on  that  account  was  a  pensioner 
of  the  general  government.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  I  S3  5.  when  about  eighty-five 
years  old.  He  married  Rhoda  Hendrick- 
son,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hendrickson. 
They  became  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Rhoda,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  She 
and  the  youngest  of  the  family,  the  now  ven- 
erable Isaac  I.  Burroughs,  are  the  only  sur- 
vivors. Mrs.  Rhoda  Burroughs  lived  to  be 
ninety  years  of  age.  Of  the  children  born 
to  Samuel  and  Rhoda  Slater,  two  survive, 
our  subject  and  Martha,  wife  of  Chauncey 
D.  Flint,  an  engineer  of  Chicago. 

Henry  H.  Slater  spent  his  boyhood  in 
his  native  state,  and  there  remained  until 
sixteen  years  of  age.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  district  school  and  in  a  pri- 
vate school  in  Warren  county.  New  Jersey. 
On  coming  to  Illinois,  he  went  with  his 
father  to  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles  east 
of  Genoa,  and  worked  with  him  until  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  when  his  father 
gave  him  a  farm  which  he  proceeded  to  cul- 
tivate, and  in  which  he  continued  until  the 
second  year  of  the  war  for  the  Union.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Illinois  \^olunteer  Infantry,  at  Genoa, 
September  2.  1872,  and  was  mustered  in 
with  his  regiment  at  Dixon,  and  was  soon 
afterwards  sent  to  the  front.  The  regiment 
joined  the  main  army  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  the  first  battle  in  which  it  was 
engaged  was  at  Resaca.  Georgia.  It  was 
later   in    the    Atlanta    campaign,    and    with 


Sherman  on  the  march  to  the  sea. 
While  at  Raleigh.  North  Carolina,  they 
heard  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Lee 
and  the  fall  of  Richmond.  The  regiment 
then  marched  through  Richmond,  \'irginia, 
and  after  viewing  the  battle  grounds,  pro- 
ceeded to  Washington,  where  it  participat- 
ed in  the  Grand  Review.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Washington,  and  discharged  at  Chi- 
cago, in  June,   1865. 

Returning  home  Mr.  Slater  opened  a 
general  store  in  Genoa,  later  adding  a  stock 
of  drugs.  In  1870  he  disposed  of  his  store 
and  went  into  business  at  Gardner,  Illinois, 
but  in  1873  returned  to  Genoa  and  again 
entered  into  the  mercantile  business.  In 
1876  he  built  a  large  brick  store  room  and 
later  took  his  son  into  partnership.  The 
son  is  now  deceased  and  the  firm  name  is 
now  H.  H.  Slater. 

Mr.  Slater  was  married  January  23, 
1867,  in  Genoa,  to  Miss  .Amaretta  B.  Stiles, 
born  in  Fraleysburg,  Canada,  just  across 
the  line  from  Vermont,  and  a  daughter  of 
Asahel  Stiles,  a  native  of  Benson.  Vermont, 
born  August  14,  1797,  and  died  in  Genoa 
February  7,  1883.  He  came  to  Illinois  in 
November,  1848,  coming  by  canal  and  lakes 
to  Chicago  and  by  teams  to  De  Kalb 
county,  locating  in  Sycamore  township, 
three  miles  south  of  Genoa.  He  was  one 
of  the  builders  of  the  court  house  in  Syca- 
more and  was  by  trade  a  carpenter.  His 
son,  Aaron  K.  Stiles,  was  county  clerk  of  De 
Kalb  county  for  twelve  years.  .Asahel 
Stiles  married  Fannie  Sm.ith,  a  native  of 
Sudbury,  Vermont,  a  daughter  of  Enoch 
and  Mary  (Wilson)  Smith,  natives  of  Eng- 
land. To  our  subject  and  wife  two  chil- 
dren were  born,  Samuel  and  Margaret. 
The  former  was  for  a  time  in  business  with 
his  father,  but  is  now  deceased. 


374 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Fraternally  Mr.  Slater  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  lodge  at  Genoa,  and  also  of 
the.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Well 
known  throughout  the  county,  he  is  a  man 
who  has  many  warm  friends  and  as  a  busi- 
ness man  has  always  been  enterprising  and 
up  with  the  times. 


JONAS  INGMANSON  is  now  living  re- 
tired in  the  city  of  Sycamore.  He  was 
born  March  19,  182S.  in  the  province  of 
Smolen,  Sweden,  and  is  the  son  of  Ingman 
and  Elna  (Johnson)  Swanson,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Sweden.  The  father  died 
when  our  subject  was  but  one  year  old,  and 
the  mother  when  he  was  but  si.xteen  years 
of  age.  He  was  thus  left  to  be  brought  up 
by  relatives.  Until  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
was  taught  by  a  pri\ate  teacher,  a  lady  who 
passed  from  house  to  house,  hearing  recita- 
tions and  giving  instructions.  In  1841  the 
state  school  system  extended  to  Smolen,  and 
our  subject  attended  the  public  school  until 
his  fifteenth  year,  when  he  was  confirmed. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  our  subject  com- 
menced to  learn  engineering,  and  from  that 
time  until  1857  he  ran  a  boat  on  a  small 
lake  near  his  birth  place.  It  was  while  thus 
employed  that  the  only  accident  that  ever 
befell  him  occurred.  During  a  violent 
storm,  April  11,  1852,  the  machinery  became 
misplaced,  and  in  his  efforts  to  get  it  right, 
the  boat  pitched  in  a  rough  sea,  and  his  left 
hand  was  caught  in  the  gearing,  severing 
two  fingers.  During  his  twenty  years  in 
charge  of  engines  in  Sweden,  he  never  had 
the  slightest  accident  to  machinery  or  en- 
gines. During  the  construction  of  the  first 
railroad  in  Sweden,  he  was  employed  in  the 
works,  and  for  six  years  ran  an  engine  on 
the  road.      Later  he  went    to   Gottenberg, 


and  was  employed  as  an  engineer  in  a  saw 
mill  until  his  emigration  to  America. 

On  July  18,  1870,  Mr.  Ingmanson  sailed 
from  Malme.  for  New  Castle,  England, 
thence  went  by  rail  to  Liverpool,  where  he 
took  a  vessel  on  the  Inman  line,  for  New 
York.  Arriving  in  the  latter  city,  he  came 
direct  to  Sycamore,  where  a  brother  had 
preceded  him,  reaching  here  August  9,  1870, 
being  nearly  a  month  after  sailing  from 
Malme.  He  secured  what  labor  he  could 
find  for  a  time,  then  for  a  year  ran  an  en- 
gine for  the  Reuben  Ellvvood  Manufacturing 
Company.  After  the  great  Chicago  fire,  he 
went  to  that  cit)-,  and  for  six  (^r  seven 
months,  received  the  high  wages  paid  for 
labor  after  the  disaster.  On  returning  to 
Sycamore,  he  worked  in  the  Marsh  Harvest- 
er Works  for  a  time,  and  later  ran  an  en- 
gine for  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Com- 
pan\'. 

Leaving  the  employ  of  the  latter  com- 
pany, Mr.  Ingmanson  went  to  Rockford, 
Illinois,  and  established  a  Paint  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  which  he  operated  for  four 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Sycamore  for 
a  short  time,  and  then  moved  to  Chicago,  to 
be  near  his  children,  who  were  all  employed 
there.  After  remaining  in  Chicago  four 
years,  he  again  returned  to  Sycamore,  and 
established  the  Russell  \'arnish  and  Color 
Company,  which  he  conducted  some  three 
or  four  years.  He  then  ran  an  engine  for 
the  Patton  Manufacturing  Company  two 
years,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired 
in  his  comfortable  home  in  Sycamore.  Ac- 
cording to  Swedish  custom,  he  takes  his 
last  name  from  his  father's  first  name. 

Mr.  Ingmanson  was  married  in  Kristian- 
stad,  Sweden,  April  3,  1862,  to  Miss  Elsie 
Junson,  who  was  born  on  the  old  family  es- 
tate, known  as    the  Holma    District   Scone, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


.•>/  3 


province  of  Usbue,  and  a  daughter  of  Juns 
and  Elna  (Nelson)  Larson.  By  this  union 
there  are  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.  Emma  married  Mongue  Selberg.  a 
blacksmith  and  machinist,  by  whom  she  has 
three  children,  Oscar,  Benjamin  and  Clar- 
ence. Albert,  who  is  a  machinist  by  trade, 
married  Tessie  Randall,  since  deceased,  and 
is  now  living  with  his  parents.  Emil,  also 
a  machinist  by  trade,  married  Ella  John- 
son and  has  now  a  position  in  a  wholesale 
house  in  Chicago.  Emily  married  Edwin 
Nelson,  a  molder  by  trade.  Jennie  and 
Augusta  hold  positions  in  mercantile  estab- 
lishments in  Chicago.  Esther,  a  graduate 
of  the  Sycamore  schools,  yet  remains  at 
home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ingmanson  is  a  Republic- 
an, while  he  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  distant 
relative  of  Christine  Xillson,  the  celebrated 
Swedish  singer.  His  brother,  Andrew  Ing- 
manson, first  discovered  the  possibilities  of 
her  voice,  and  gave  financial  aid  to  secure 
her  first  instruction.  When  in  this  country, 
on  one  of  her  annual  tours,  she  was  solicit- 
ed to  give  concerts  in  Sycamore  to  help  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  church,  but  would  not 
consent.  Mr.  Ingmanson  then  visited  her 
in  Chicago,  the  result  being  two  concerts  in 
Sycamore  which  resulted  in  a  large  profit 
for  the  church. 


JOSEPH  EDMOND  PARKER  is  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Sycamore.  He  was 
born  in  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  July  14. 
1845,  ^^'^  's  the  son  of  Henry  N.  and  Mary 
.Ann  ^Stillwellj  Parker,  the  former  a  native 
of  Ontario  county.  New  York,  and  the  latter 
of    Campbell     county.    Kentucky.       Henr\ 


Parker  was  born  in  October,  1814,  and  was 
the  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Hobbs)  Parker, 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  who  died  in  New  York,  many  years 
ago.  Henry  N.  Parker  had  five  brothers  and 
one  sister.  The  latter,  Louisa,  married 
Robert  Graham,  but  both  are  now  deceased. 
Lorenzo  Dow,  a  Methodist  minister,  now 
deceased.  He  was  named  after  Lorenzo 
Dow,  who  was  a  cousin  of  J.  E.  Parker's 
grandfather.  Charles  is  still  living  and  is  a 
resident  of  Liberty,  Labette  county,  Kan- 
sas. The  deceased  are  Parley,  Orison  and 
Russell. 

In  1839,  Henr\'  N.  Parker  moved  from 
his  native  state  to  Indiana,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  where  he  resided  until 
1852,  when  he  came  to  DeKalb  county, 
Illinois,  and  located  in  Kingston.  Purchas- 
ing a  farm,  he  operated  the  same  until  his 
death.  May  2,  189S.  For  many  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  was  an  active  worker  in  that 
body.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican 
from  the  organization  of  the  party.  Physi- 
cally, he  was  a  large,  well  built  man,  six 
feet,  two  inches  in  height.  His  wife,  Mary 
Ann  Stillwell,  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
Stillwell,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  par- 
ents died  in  Kentucky,  and  Shelbyville,  Illi- 
nois, respectively.  Religiously  she  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Eight  children  were  born  to  Henry 
X.  and  Mary  A.  Parker,  as  follows:  Martha, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Sarah  Ann.  wife  of  J. 
D.  Woolsey,  living  in  the  township  of  Syca- 
more; Louisa,  wife  of  Volaski  Hix,  de- 
ceased, living  in  the  city  of  Sycamore; 
John  R. ,  residing  in  Chicago;  Martha 
J.,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of 
Chicago;  Mary  Adelaine.  wife  of  Harry 
Hawks,   of    Freeport,  Illinois;  and    Fannie, 


376 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


wife  of    Walter  Poust,    living    on    the    old 
homestead. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  eight 
years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Kingston,  DeKalb  county,  Illinois,  and 
on  the  home  farm  grew  to  manhood,  while 
receiving  his  education  in  the  district  schools. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  began 
farming  for  himself  on  land  leased  of  his 
father.  He  continued  to  be  thus  employed 
for  about  ten  years,  when  he  accepted  a 
position  with  the  Ellwood  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Sycamore,  with  which  com- 
pany he  remained  for  about  fifteen  years, 
having  charge  of  the  packing  and  shipping 
and  also  ofthe  collections.  Having  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  in  his  youth,  on  leav- 
ing the  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company,  he 
engaged  at  his  trade  for  a  time,  but  is  now 
living  a  retired  life. 

In  September,  1869,  Mr.  Parker  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Jane 
Parker,  born  in  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  (Anderson)  Parker,  na- 
tives of  Ireland,  who  came  in  their  youth 
with  their  parents  from  the  old  country. 
She  died  in  June,  1887,  bearing  one  son, 
Samuel  Fay,  who  is  employed  in  the  office 
of  the  True  Republican  at  Sycamore,  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  Parker  was  married  the  second 
time,  April  7,  1892,  to  Eliza  Jane  Mackey, 
a  daughter  of  Harrison  and  Mary  (Hall) 
Mackey.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Ulster 
county.  New  York,  and  b\-  trade  was  a 
blacksmith,  which  he  followed  in  early  life. 
On  coming  west  in  the  spring  of  1839  he 
located  in  Maytield  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  where  he  began  farming  and  where 
his  death  occurred  August  22,  1890.  His 
wife,  Mary,  died  January  22,  1856.  They 
had  three  children  as  follows:  Mary  R. , 
now   Mrs.    H.  H.    Coleman,    of   Sycamore; 


Eliza  Jane,  wife  of  our  subject;  and  Julia 
Ann,  who  married  John  Westlake,  and  died 
April  8,  1869.  (See  Sketch  of  Harrison 
Mackey.) 

When  he  engaged  with  the  Ellwood 
Manufacturing  Company,  Mr.  Parker  re- 
moved to  Sycamore,  which  has  since  been 
his  home.  He  is  now  living  on  Main  street 
in  a  good,  comfortable  dwelling  house, 
which  he  has  remodeled  and  which  is  situ- 
ated on  an  attractive  ground.  Mrs.  Parker 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  of  Sycamore.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  a  member  of 
Sycamore  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Sycamore  Chapter,  No.  49,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
Sycamore  Commandery,  No.  15,  K.  T.  For 
many  years  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
this  order  and  has  served  as  a  delegate  to 
the  various  grand  bodies.  He  has  been 
worshipful  master  of  the  blue  lodge,  and 
eminent  commander  ofthe  commandery. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  VAN  WERT,  who 
resides  on  section  9,  Franklin  town- 
ship, is  not  only  a  veteran  of  the  war  for 
the  Union,  but  comes  of  good  old  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  his  great-grandfather,  El- 
dred  Van  Wert,  being  a  soldier  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  Eldred  Van  Wert  was  a 
cousin  to  Isaac  Van  Wert,  who  captured 
Major  Andre.  The  \'an  Werts  are  of  Hol- 
land-Dutch ancestry,  and  were  early  set- 
tlers of  the  state  of  New  York,  where  El- 
dred Van  Wert  was  born.  His  son,  Abra- 
ham Van  Wert,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
was  also  a  native  of  that  state  Hugh  Van 
Wert,  the  father  of  our  subject,  married 
Sarah  Robins,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
New  York.  They  became  the  parents  of 
si.\  children,  of  whom  William  and  Thomas 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UN!V:RClfy  Of   ILLINO/S 


I 


QAPT.  WILLIAM   VAN  WERT. 


MRS.  WILLIAM  VAN  W^ERT. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


381 


R.  are  the  only  survivors.  The  deceased 
were  lacob,  Susan,  Benjamin  and  Henry. 
Hugh  Van  Wert  in  early  life  was  a  farmer 
and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  na- 
tive state.  In  1846  he  removed  to  Michi- 
gan and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Hillsdale  coun- 
ty. He  there  read  medicine  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice,  and  has  since  followed 
that  profession.  He  served  during  the  Civil 
war  for  a  term  of  two  3'ears  and  was  wound- 
ed at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain.  He 
died  in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  Septem- 
ber 28,  i8g8,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 
For  some  years  he  drew  a  pension  of  seven- 
teen dollars  per  month  for  services  in  the 
Civil  war. 

William  \"an  Wert  is  a  native  of  Sara- 
toga county.  New  York,  born  April  29, 
1839.  He  was  but  si.x  years  of  age  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Hillsdale 
county,  Michigan,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  On  the  20th  of  April,  1861, 
at  La  Porte,  Indiana,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  Ninth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
under  the  first  call  for  three  months'  men. 
At  the  e.xpiration  of  his  term  of  service  he 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Twenty-ninth  In- 
diana \'olunteer  Infantry  at  La  Porte,  Indi- 
ana, to  serve  three  years  or  during  the  war. 
He  was  first  made  a  sergeant  of  his  com- 
pany, afterward  promoted  first  lieutenant, 
and  later  commissioned  captain.  His  regi- 
ment was  in  very  active  service  during  al- 
most his  entire  term  of  enlistment,  and  with 
it  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Phillippi, 
West  Virginia;  Shiloh,  Stone  River,  Buz- 
ijard  Roost,  Resaca,  all  the  battles  of  the 
Atlanta  campaign;  Columbia,  Tennessee; 
Franklin,  Nashville,  Wise  Fork,  together 
with  various  skirmishes.  At  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  Captain  \an  Wert  was  badly  wound- 


ed, and  because  of  that  wound  he  now 
draws  a  pension  of  twenty  dollars  per  month. 
With  his  regiment  he  was  discharged,  Sep- 
tember 27,  1865,  at  Salisbury,  North  Caro- 
lina. 

.\fter  his  discharge.  Captain  \'an  Wert 
returned  to  La  Porte,  Indiana,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  the  fall  of  1867, 
when  he  removed  to  Boone  county,  Illinois, 
and  worked  on  fartns  by  the  month  for  a 
time.  On  the  20th  of  February,  1868,  he 
married  Elizabeth  A.  Shirley,  a  native  of 
Winnebago  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter 
of  Lewis  and  Lucinda  (Keith)  Shirley,  both 
natives  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  who  came 
to  Illinois,  in  1840,  and  settled  on  govern- 
ment land,  an  eighty-acre  tract  of  which 
they  secured  at  a  dollar  and  twenty- five 
cents  per  acre.  That  tract  was  only  the 
beginning,  Mr.  Shirley  acquiring  before  his 
death  over  one  thousand  acres  of  good 
land.  He  died  in  Cherry  Vallex',  Winne- 
bago county,  May  13,  1898.  The  Shirley 
family  were  also  patriotic,  some  of  the  an- 
cestry of  Mr.  Shirley  serving  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  in  the  second  war  with 
Great  Britain. 

In  1875,  Captain  Van  Wert  came  to  De 
Kalb  county,  and  purchased  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
acres  of  good  tillable  land.  He  has  been  fairly 
successful  in  his  farming  operations,  being 
practical  in  all  his  methods.  His  interest 
the  Civil  war  is  kept  alive  by  membership  in 
Thomas  Humphrey  Post,  No.  530,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Kirkland.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Kirk- 
land  Camp,  No.  141,  M.  W.  A.,  of  Kirk- 
land. In  politics  he  is  an  enthusiastic  Re- 
publican, believing  firmly  in  the  principles 
of  the  party,  and  acting  up  to  his  convic- 
tions by  giving  earnest  support  to  its  candi- 
dates. 


382 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


JACOB  GIVENS  is  one  of  the  old  and 
substantial  farmers  of  Malta  township, 
his  farm  being  located  on  section  34.  He 
was  born  in  Charleston,  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, New  York,  April  12,  181 5,  and  is  the 
son  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  (Stewart)  Givens. 
By  occupation  Joseph  Givens  was  a  miller 
in  early  life,  but  in  later  years  abandoned 
it  for  agricultural  pursuits.  He  removed 
from  Charleston  to  Otsego  county,  New 
York,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  upon 
which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  was  a  man  of  pure  morals  and  upright 
principles,  whose  life  was  governed  by  the 
golden  rule.  He  died  in  1838,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  3'ears,  his  wife  having  pre- 
ceded him,  dying  in  1833,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years.  Their,  family  consisted  of  ten 
children,  and  Jacob  is  the  only  surviving 
member. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  fairly  good  education  fur  the  time. 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
after  he  attained  his  majorit\',  assisting  in 
the  culti\ation  of  the  home  farm.  When 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  commenced 
working  out  by  the  day  and  month.  On 
the  1 6th  of  December,  1841,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Deborah  Stewart,  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Stewart. 
About  two  years  after  this  event  he  bought 
his  first  farm  of  tift)-  acres  in  Chemung 
county.  New  York,  where  he  remained  thir- 
teen years,  during  which  time  nine  children 
were  born,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Those  that  grew  to  mature  years  were  Chris- 
topher, born  June  4,  1843:  Loren  G.,  June 
9,  1845;  Sarah  A.,  April  26,  1847;  Albert 
and  Adelbert,  twnns,  July  14,  1848;  Har- 
riet E.,  February  28,  1853;  and  Clarence 
F.,  August   9,    1855.      Of  these    Loren    G., 


died   June   24,   1^860,  and    Harriet    E.,  June 
21,   1895. 

In  1855  Mr.  Given  sold  his  farm  in  Che- 
mung county.  New  York,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  at 
Shabbona  Grove,  De  Kalb  county.  After 
his  removal  two  more  children  were  born, 
Fidelia  A.,  January  i,  1858,  and  Laura  E. , 
November  1,  1861.  After  working  on  a 
farm  in  Shabbona  Grove  for  four  years,  Mr. 
Given  removed  to  Malta,  Illinois,  where  he 
lived  about  three  years,  and  then  purchased 
his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  which  is  very 
pleasantly  situated.  Here  he  has  conducted 
farming  on  general  principles,  not  running 
to  any  special  line.  Besides  the  home 
farm,  he  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  in  Dakota.  Mrs.  Givens,  who  was 
born  at  Cayuta,  New  Y'ork,  February  14, 
1818,  died  at  Malta,  May  1,  1895,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.  Mr.  (jivenshas  never 
united  with  any  local  church,  but  is  an  hon- 
est, upright  and  conscientious  man.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Republican. 


DD.  BROWN,  mayor  of  the  city  of  De 
Kalb,  is  one  of  her  choice  and  trusted 
citizens.  From  1879  to  the  present  time 
he  has  held  important  offices  in  the  city, 
and  has  never  shrunk  from  duty,  never  over- 
looked trifles  as  too  insignificant  to  be 
noticed,  nor  never  faltered  in  the  pursuit  of 
that  which  inhanced  the  interest  of  the  peo- 
ple who  placed  him  in  office.  His  motto 
has  ever  been,  not  only  the  greatest  good 
to  the  greatest  number,  hat  the  greatest 
good  to  all. 

Mr.  Brown  is  well  born  and  is  the  son  of 
C.  M.  and  Catherine  A.  (De  Pue)  Brown, 
and  was  born  at  Belvidere,  New  Jersey,  Au- 
gust 26,   1845.      H's  parents   were  both   na- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


383 


tives  of  New  Jersey,  his  father  born  in  Ches- 
ter and  his  mother  in  Beividere.  The  for- 
mer was  of  Enghsh  extraction  and  the  latter 
of  Holland  and  French  parentage.  C.  M. 
Brown  was  one  of  Belvidere's  prominent 
business  men,  and  in  his  younger  days  ac- 
quired his  knowledge  of  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  the  cit\'  of  Ne\\ark,  New  Jersey. 
With  his  family  he  removed  from  Beividere, 
New  Jersey,  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  in  1841, 
and  there  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  1859,  at  which  time  he  was 
elected  circuit  clerk  and  recorder  of  De 
Kalb  county.  This  position  he  held  and  its 
duties  he  faithfull}'  and  conscientiously  dis- 
charged for  four  years.  At  the  e.xpiration 
of  this  period  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  stave  and  heading 
business,  which  he  successfully  pursued  un- 
til 1870,  when  he  returned  to  Sycamore, 
where  he  died  in  March  of  the  same  year. 
C.  M.  Brown  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife,  Catherine,  the  mother  of  D.  D.  Brown, 
dying  in  1849,  when  the  latter  was  but  four 
years  of  age.  For  his  second  wife  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Louise  A.  Jackman,  a  native  of 
New  York,  who  survived  him,  and  by  whom 
he  had  three  children,  two  yet  living — -Fred 
C. ,  of  San  Antonia,  Texas,  and  M.  L.,  a 
commission  merchant  of  Chicago.  The 
De  Pues  were  people  noted  for  their  intelli- 
gence and  influence.  The  youngest  brother 
of  Mrs.  Brown,  Abraham  De  Pue,  was  pay- 
master in  the  navy,  while  her  eldest  brother, 
David  A.  De  Pue,  is  judge  of  one  of  the 
courts  in  Newark,  New  Jerse\-. 

D.  D.  Brown  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Sycamore,  but  took  a  course  at  Valparaiso, 
Indiana.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  school 
days  he  entered  the  dry-goods  store  of  Rog- 
ers &  Wild,  where  he  proved  himself  an  ef- 
ficient and    faithful   employee.      About    this 


time  the  dark  and  stormy  days  of  the  Re- 
bellion were  on  us.  Our  nation's  honor  was 
at  stake  and  men  were  needed.  In  obedi- 
ence to  the  call  Mr.  Brown  enlisted  in  1864 
(his  age  preventing  him  from  an  earlier  en- 
listment), and  served  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany F,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second 
Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  O.  M.  Bunnell, 
captain,  and  T.  j.  Pickett,  colonel.  With 
his  regiment  he  served  in  the  Armj'  of  the 
Tennessee,  with  which  they  were  connected 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  honor- 
ably discharged  at  Chicago  and  returned  to 
his  home. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life  Mr.  Brown  en- 
tered into  the  employ  of  his  father,  who 
was  at  that  time  engaged  in  the  stave  and 
heading  business  at  Chicago,  and  there  re- 
mained one  year.  In  1867  he  obtained  a 
position  as  captain  of  a  passenger  steam- 
boat plying  between  Paducah,  Kentucky, 
and  Eastport,  Tennessee.  In  1868  he  re- 
turned to  Sycamore,  where  he  engaged  with 
George  P.  Wilde,  a  member  of  the  firm  for 
which  he  worked  previous  to  the  war.  In 
the  spring  of  1874  he  formed  a  co-partner- 
ship with  C.  A.  Tindall,  of  De  Kalb,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Tindall  &  Brown,  in  the 
mercantile  business,  and  two  years  later 
purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  took 
entire  charge  of  the  business,  in  which  he 
continued  until  1SS3,  when  he  sold  to 
Charles  Reed,  of  Elburn.  At  this  time  he 
formed  another  partnershij)  N\ith  P.  G. 
Young  in  the  lumber  business,  which  they 
extensively  and  successfully  pursued  under 
the  firm  name  of  Brown  &  Young.  In  the 
spring  of  1892  he  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Young,  since  which  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged as  shipping  clerk  with  the  Superior 
Barb  Wire  Company,  afterwards  changed 
to   the   Ellwood   Wire   and    Nail   Company, 


584 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  which  has  now  been  absorbed  by  the 
American  Steel  &  ^^'ire  Company. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  1872,  Mr. 
Brown  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Alice  E.  Ellwood,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and 
Sarah  (Dygart)  Ellwood,  and  by  this  union 
two  children  were  born,  Zaida  E.,  July  29, 
1878,  and  Sarah  Louise,  November  27, 
1 88 1.  Mrs.  Brown  was  born  at  Herkimer. 
New  York,  October  19,  1851.  Her  educa- 
tion was  begun  in  the  public  schools  of  Ue 
Kalb,  and  completed  in  Xavier's  Academy, 
Chicago.  She  is  a  refined  and  highly  edu- 
cated lady,  and  a  member  of  the  Eastern 
Star. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  decided  Republican  and 
has  been  actively  interested  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  municipal  affairs  of  De  Kalb. 
He  was  elected  alderman  in  1879  and 
served  faithfully  and  well  in  said  office. 
After  serving  three  terms  as  alderman,  in 
1883,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  and 
served  four  years.  In  1891  and  in  1892  he 
was  elected  and  served  as  fire  marshal  of 
the  city.  In  1895  he  was  again  elected  to 
the  office  of  mayor  and  re-elected  in  1897, 
and  is  yet  filling  the  position. 

Mr.  Brown  has  the  entire  confidence, 
not  only  of  his  political  associates,  but  of 
the  entire  city  of  De  Kalb.  His  spotless 
character,  his  upright  life,  his  amiable  and 
sociable  disposition,  make  him  a  desirable 
companion,  and  increase  his  already  numer- 
ous friends,  who  are  willing  to  place  their 
interests  in  his  hands.  He  is  prominent  in 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  like  all  good 
fellows,  who  have  deservedly  traveled  the 
way  before  him,  has  had  conferred  upon 
him  the  thirty-second  degree.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  G. 
A.  R.  Post,  at  De  Kalb.  in  the  latter  of 
which    he    was    commander    in    1897.       In 


1887  he  broadened  his  mind,  and  added  to 
his  already  e.xtensive  knowledge,  by  an  ex- 
tended tour  through  Europe,  visiting  Eng- 
land, Ireland,  Scotland,  Holland,  Germany, 
Belgium,  Switzerland,  Austria,  France  and 
Italy. 


LEVI  S.  HODGE,  deceased,  was  for 
many  years  a  well-known  citizen  of 
De  Kalb  county.  He  was  born  m  Che- 
nango, Bro(jme  county,  New  York,  Decem- 
ber 20,  1815,  and  was  reared  in  his  native 
state  and  there  resided  until  1853,  when  he 
came  west.  When  a  young  man  he  read 
medicine,  but  abandoned  the  medical  pro- 
fession for  that  of  the  law,  which  he  prac- 
ticed some  years  in  his  native  state  and 
after  coming  to  Sycamore,  Illinois.  He 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Harriet  Davis, 
b\'  whom  he  had  five  children,  only  one 
now  surviving,  Levi  Hodge,  of  Sitka, 
Alaska.  His  second  union  was  with  Mrs. 
.\delia  A.  Holroyd,  widow  of  James  Hol- 
royd,  the  wedding  ceremony  being  cele- 
brated September  20,   1890. 

Mrs.  Hodge  was  born  in  Mongoquinon 
Prairie,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  in 
1837.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Daniel  M. 
Thurston,  a  native  of  Broome  county,  New 
York,  born  in  August,  1820,  and  a  son  of 
Daniel  Thurston.  He  came  to  Michigan 
when  three  years  of  age,  and  to  Illinois  in 
1840,  residing  for  the  first  two  years  in 
Chicago.  In  1842  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  located  in  Kingston  township, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  eight  years, 
and  selling  out  purchased  a  farm  in  Genoa 
township,  where  he  remained  five  years. 
He  then  went  back  to  Michigan  and  there 
lived  fi\e  years,  but  again  returned  to  Genoa 
township,  where   he  rented  a  larni  one  year 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


385 


and  then  went  to  Bremer  county.  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  four  years.  From 
Bremer  county  he  moved  to  Fort  Scott. 
Kansas,  but  returned  to  Iowa  and  died  in 
Butler  county.  He  married  Melissa  D. 
Phelps,  daughter  of  William  and  Cynthia 
Phelps.  She  was  probably  born  in  Penn- 
sjlvania  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years. 

Mrs.  Hodge  first  married  in  Genoa  town- 
ship, July  4,  1855,  James  Holroyd,  who  was 
born  near  Petersborough,  Canada,  in  1820, 
and  died  in  1S81.  He  was  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  (Anson)  Holroyd,  natives  of 
Leeds,  Yorkshire,  England,  who  emigrated 
to  Canada  in  the  spring  of  1820.  William 
Holroyd  was  the  son  of  Benjamin,  a  gentle- 
man farmer  in  England,  who  married  Grace 
Hardwick.  By  her  first  marriage  Mrs. 
Hodge  became  the  mother  of  five  children, 
(i)  Maggie  D.  is  the  wife  of  Frank  J.  Drake, 
of  Kingston  township,  by  whom  she  has  six 
children:  .\lta,  Edna,  Jennie,  Warren, 
Birdie  and  Marie.  12)  Grace  B.  married 
Ira  Westover,  and  they  have  eight  children: 
Fannie,  Byron,  Eva,  May.  Benjamin, 
Frank.  William  and  Edith.  They  reside  in 
Cerro  Gordo  county,  Iowa.  (3)  Herbert 
H.  married  Frankie  Hawks,  and  they  reside 
in  Kingston,  Illinois.  (4)  Albert  J.  married 
Belle  Thurlby,  and  they  have  one  daughter. 
Myrtle.  Their  residence  is  in  Martin  coun- 
ty. Minnesota.  Guy  W.  married  Nellie 
McAvoy,  and  is  engaged  in  the  implement 
business  in  Sycamore. 

Levi  S.  Hodge  was  a  very  prosperous 
man  and  was  the  owner  of  several  farms  in 
De  Kalb  county.  For  four  years  prior  to 
his  death  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  died  February  25,  1897,  leaving  many 
friends  in  Sycamore  and  De  Kalb  county  to 
mourn  his  loss.      Mrs.   Hodge  is  a  member 


of  the  Congregational  church  of  Sycamore 
and  also  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Tem- 
perance Union,  in  both  of  which  she  takes 
a  very  active  part.  She  is  of  an  artistic 
turn  of  mind  and  has  some  fine  portrait 
work  of  members  of  her  own  familv. 


HENKV  KLINE,  a  substantial  farmer 
and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  De 
Kalb  county,  resides  on  section  8,  Franklin 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  Richland 
county,  Ohio,  born  March  4.  1822,  and  is 
the  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan  (Keith)  Kline, 
both  natives  of  Huntingdon  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. The\-  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  John,  Adam,  William,  Jacob, 
Michael,  Henry,  Simon,  Jackson,  Margaret 
and  Matilda.  All  are  deceased  but  Simon 
and  our  subject.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Jacob  Kline,  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  an 
early  day  Jacob  Kline  moved  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Richland  county.  Ohio,  and  there  our 
subject  was  reared  and  educated.  In  1846 
he  came  to  Illinois  and  worked  by  the  day 
on  farms  in  Boone  county.  On  the  22d  of 
November.  1847,  he  married  Maria  Keith,  a 
native  of  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  Bolser  and  Lucy  (Smith)  Keith, 
the  former  a  native  of  Huntingdon  county. 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  New  York 
state.  Of  their  family  of  ten  children  one 
died  in  infancy.  Those  who  lived  to  ma- 
turity were  Phebe,  Michael,  Lucinda, 
Rhoda,  Maria,  Margaret.  Bolser,  Benjamin 
and  Charlotte.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Kline,  Peter  Keith,  was  a  native  of 
Germany  and  came  to  .\merica  in  an  early 
day.  Mrs.  Kline  came  west  with  her  pa- 
rents in  1837  to  Winnebago  county,  Illinois, 
where    her    father   purchased    one    hundred 


3^6 


tHE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORE). 


and  twenty  acres  of  government  land,  to 
which  he  later  added,  giving  him  a  large 
and  excellent  farm. 

For  some  j'ears  Mr.  Kline  worked  at  the 
mason's  and  carpenter's  trade,  but  of  late 
years  he  has  given  his  attention  exclusively 
to  farming.  He  purchased  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres,  on  section  8,  Franklin 
township,  in  1851.  The  improvements 
which  have  been  made  upon  it  are  quite  ex- 
tensive and  the  farm  is  now  one  of  the  best 
in  the  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kline 
si-x  children  were  born,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Margaret  A., 
Bolser,  Jacob  and  Libby.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kline  are  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
church  and  in  politics  he  is  an  independent, 
voting  for  men  rather  than  party.  While 
he  came  to  this  country  with  but  little 
means,  by  his  industry,  assisted  by  his  good 
wife,  he  is  now  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances and  has  the  utmost  respect  of  all 
who  know  him. 


REV.  ALVARO  ALLEN  CROCKER,  of 
Genoa,  Illinois,  was  born  on  the  Indian 
reservation,  northwest  of  Batavia,  Genesee 
county,  New  York,  April  27,  1826.  His 
father.  Rev.  Allen  Crocker,  was  born  in 
Shutesbury,  Massachusetts,  April  14,  1793, 
and  died  February  7,  1871.  He  began 
preaching  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  was  a 
minister  of  wonderful  power,  and  considered 
one  of  the  finest  sermonizers  in  the  Chris- 
tian denomination  in  northern  Illinois,  as 
strong  in  his  ministry  as  Peter  Cartwright. 
He  was  in  active  service  in  the  ministry  for 
over  sixty  years.  About  seven  years  before 
his  death  he  suffered  a  stroke  of  paralysis, 
and  at  end  of  that  time  received  two  strokes 


in  one  day.  He  served  in  the  war  ol  1S12. 
Allen  Crocker  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Theopholis 
Crocker,  a  native  of  Shutesbury,  one  of  the 
best  known  ministers  in  western  New  York. 
He  was  quite  famous  in  his  day,  and  an  ex- 
tended sketch  of  his  life  is  found  in  History 
of  the  Ministry  of  Western  New  York.  He 
had  a  great  memory  and  could  repeat  the 
book  of  Revelations  entire  and  whole  chap- 
ters in  the  Gospel.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  also  in  the  war  of 
1 812.  In  stature  he  was  quite  large,  and 
weighed  about  two  hundred  pounds.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety  two  years.  The 
family  in  this  country  are  descended  from 
three  brothers,  who  came  from  England  in 
colonial  days.  For  generations  the  family 
have  been  deeply  religious,  a  number  of 
them  including  two  brothers  of  Allen 
Crocker,  Alfred  and  Orrin,  being  in  the 
ministry. 

Allen  Crocker  married  Sophronia  Tacles, 
born  July  11;,  1804,  near  Wyoming,  New 
York.  Their  marriage  was  solmni/ied  May 
26,  1825.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Alexan- 
der Tacles,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Allen's  Creek,  in 
W^yoming  county,  New  York.  He  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  and  was  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. He  married  Philena  Howard,  born 
November  26,  1765,  their  marriage  being 
celebrated  April  16,  1800.  The  Tacles 
went  from  Massachusetts  to  New  York,  set- 
tling in  Wyoming  county,  when  it  was  all 
heavih-  timbered  land.  Mrs.  Allen  Crocker 
was  a  well  educated  woman,  a  graduate  of 
Wyoming  Academy,  after  which  she  en- 
gaged in  teaching  until  after  her  marriage. 
She  became  the  mother  of  six  children, 
three  of  whom  survive,  our  subject  and 
Philena,  widow  of  Samuel  Stephens;  Elvira, 
widow  of  Gilbert  Maxfield. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


5^; 


When  our  subject  was  thirteen  years  of 
age  the  family  moved  from  New  York  to 
Ohio  and  for  two  years  resided  five  miles 
west  of  Oberlin  and  two  years  one  and  o;ie- 
half  miles  south  of  Euclid  where  his  fatiier 
had  a  charge.  They  then  mo\'ed  back  to 
Genesee  county.  New  York,  locating  at 
Bethany  Center,  where  they  remained  two 
years,  and  then  resided  one  year  six  miles 
west  of  Rochester,  New  York,  from  which 
place  in  1844  our  subject  emigrated  to  Ogle 
county,  New  York,  his  father  following  in 
the  spring  of  1845.  In  the  spring  of  1846, 
Mr.  Crocker  came  to  Genoa,  and  having  se- 
cured a  certificate,  engaged  in  teaching,  an 
occupation  in  which  he  continued  for  nine 
years,  five  of  which  he  taught  in  De  Kalb 
county,  and  four  in  McHenry  county.  He 
studied  theology  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania, 
in  the  Christian  and  Unitarian  Academy, 
and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the 
spring  of  1857,  in  the  Christian  Chapel,  at 
Belvidere,  Illinois,  and  for  thirty  years  after 
filled  pulpits  in  various  churches  near  his 
home.  He  bought  a  farm  three  miles  north 
of  Genoa,  which  was  his  home  until  he  re- 
tired from  active  life  in  1882.  He  has  since 
had  no  regular  charge,  but  frequently  fills 
pulpits  in  emergency,  and  presides  at  wed- 
dings and  funerals  whenever  called  upon. 

Mr.  Crocker  was  married  January  1, 
1856,  three  miles  north  of  Genoa,  to  Su- 
sannah Buck,  born  in  Shrewsbury  township, 
Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Buck,  a  native  of  Muncy, 
Pennsylvania,  who  came  west  in  1855,  lo- 
cating near  Genoa,  where  his  death  occurred 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years  and  seven 
months.  In  his  native  state  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  in  lumbering,  having  sixteen 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsvlvania.      He  came  west   with  a  \iew 


of  affording  better  opportunities  for  his  chil- 
dren, and  bought  farms  for  each  of  his  five 
sons  in  Ogle  county,  and  a  farm  of  five  hun- 
dred acres  for  himself,  near  Marengo.  Peter 
linck  was  a  son  of  Henry  Muck,  a  farmer 
and  miller  in  Pennsilvania,  who  in  early  life 
was  by  trade  a  shoemaker,  but  who  died 
when  Peter  was  ten  years  old.  He  married 
Mary  Rotharmal,  a  native  of  Holland. 
Peter  Buck  married  Louisa  Holmes,  born  in 
the  town  of  Shrewsbury,  New  Jerse)-,  and 
who  removed  with  her  parents  in  girlhood 
to  Shrewsbury  township,  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsylvania.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (Knott)  Holmes,  who  traces 
their  anceslry  to  Thomas  Holmes,  who  came 
to  America  with  William  Penii.  Of  the 
fifteen  children  born  to  Peter  Buck  and 
wife,  seven  survi\'e. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crocker  three  children 
have  been  born.  ( i )  Ellery  Channing,  born 
November  4,  1857,  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  and  after  completing  his 
education  taught  school  some  five  or  six 
years.  After  reading  law  at  Sycamore,  with 
Joseph  Stephens,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  for  several  years  was  engaged  in 
practice  at  Sycamore.  He  married  Minne- 
haha Steele,  by  whom  he  has  one  son.  Loyal 
Ellery.  He  now  resides  in  Charles  Mix 
county.  South  Dakota,  near  Yankton,  where 
he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
and  leases  seventeen  hundred  acres  from  the 
Indians.  (2)  Jennie  X'irginia  married  Ed- 
ward Wilcox,  of  Elgin,  by  whom  she  had 
one  son,  Ellery.  .\Ir.  Wilcox  is  now  de- 
ceased. (3)  Ora  married  Fred  Smith,  sec- 
retary of  the  Stover  Bicycle  Company,  of 
Freeport,  Illinois. 

In  politics  Mr.  Crocker  is  a  Republican, 
and  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  principles  of 
the  party.      For   many   years  he   served    as 


388 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


road  commissioner,  and  also  as  school  di- 
rector of  his  district.  Until  1867  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Regu- 
lar Adventists.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
conference  of  northern  Illinois  until  he  re- 
tired from  active  service,  in  1890.  He  is  a 
voluminous  writer  for  the  religious  press, 
his  specialty  being  in  writing  and  expound- 
ing prophecy  and  translation.  Fraternally 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge 
at  Genoa. 


HON.  LUTHER  LOWELL,  ex-judge 
of  the  county  and  probate  courts  of 
De  Kalb  county,  comes  of  one  of  the  best 
known  families  in  .America.  The  family  is 
one  of  the  oldest  in  this  ronntry  as  well  as 
in  England.  About  the  year  1300,  if  not 
earlier,  Walter  and  William  Lowle  (as  the 
name  was  then  spelled  t  resided  at  Yeardley, 
England.  Between  ihem  and  Perci\al 
Lowle  are  nine  generations,  of  whom  a  rec- 
ord exists,  giving  names  of  each  and  dates 
of  birth.  Perci\al  Lowle,  who  was  born  in 
England  in  1571,  emigrated  to  the  Ameri- 
can colonies  in  1639  with  Rebecca,  his  wife, 
and  settled  in  Massachusetts.  John  Lowle, 
son  of  Percival,  was  also  born  in  England. 
He  emigrated  with  his  wife,  Mary,  and  four 
children  in  1639,  and  died  in  1647.  His 
son  Benjamin,  born  at  Newbury,  Massachu- 
setts, September  12,  1642,  married  Ruth 
Woodman,  of  Newbury,  Massachusetts, 
October  17,  1666.  With  their  son.  John 
Lowell,  came  the  change  in  the  spelling  of 
the  name.  His  birth  occurred  at  Newbury, 
Massachusetts,  February  22,  1683.  He 
first  married  Mary  Davis,  and  after  her 
death  married  Sarah  L.  Bailey  in  1729. 
His  son    David,  born    January    12,   1716,  at 


Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  married  Mary 
Blood,  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire.  David's 
son  Peter,  born  December  28,  1752,  at 
Groton,  Massachusetts,  died  in  1840  at 
Dempster,  New  Hampshire.  He  served 
through  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Captain  Ezra  Towner's  company,  in 
Colonel  James  Reed's  regiment.  He  mar- 
ried Eunice  Funk  and  to  them  was  born  in 
1793  Martin  Luther  Lowell,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  who  died  in  Sycamore  in  1884, 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-one  years.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  about  1831 
moved  from  Brookfield,  \'ermont,  to  Morel, 
Vermont,  and  in  1845  to  Bristol,  in  the 
same  state.  He  married  Malinda  C.  La- 
porte,  who  was  born  June  6,  1798,  in  New 
Jersey.  Ten  of  their  children  reached  ma- 
ture life.  After  his  ciiildren  had  become 
established  in  the  west  he  made  his  home 
with  them  and  died  as  already  stated. 

Luther  Lowell,  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Brookfield,  Vermont,  May  14,  1827,  and 
was  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  the  family  of 
thirteen  children  born  to  his  parents.  After 
attending  the  district  schools  he  entered 
Hinesburg  Academy  and,  owing  to  sharp 
•  competition,  tuition  and  board  being  very 
low  in  various  places  where  academies  had 
been  established,  he  was  offered  good  board 
at  one  dollar  per  week  and  changed  to 
Spaulding's  Academy  at  Bakersfield.  He 
began  teaching  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years, 
being  large  and  well  developed  for  his  age. 
Entering  the  college  at  Middlebury,  Ver- 
mont, he  graduated  in  1851  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  and  in  1854  received  that  of  A.  M. 
A  friend  teaching  at  Ellicottville,  New 
York,  about  fifty  miles  south  of  Buffalo, 
desiring  to  return  to  college,  secured  the 
school  for  our  subject,  who  taught  it  in  the 
winter  of  18^1-2.      He  was  then  offered  the 


«p  '^^Pl 


HON.   LUTHER    LOWELL 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


391 


principalship  of  the  Rutland  Academy  and 
served  that  school  for  two  years.  He  was 
next  professor  of  Latin,  Greek  and  rhetoric 
in  the  academy  at  F"hishing,  Long  Island, 
and  while  there  had  as  a  pupil  Cornelius 
N'anderbilt. 

\\'hile  teaching  at  Flushing,  Mr.  Lowell 
had  the  misfortune  to  step  off  the  landing 
in  the  dark,  and  falling  down  the  stairway 
to  the  tioor,  had  his  arm  broken,  x^bout 
this  time  his  sister's  husband,  who  had  been 
living  in  Ue  Kalb  county,  died,  and  for  a 
change  of  air  and  to  help  his  sister,  he  came 
west,  arriving  at  Sycamore,  September  29, 
1856.  Before  coming  west  he  had  com- 
menced to  read  law.  and  arriving  here,  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Mayo  &  James,  and 
continued  his  reading  under  their  instruction, 
until  April,  1857,  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  for  practice  in  the  various  courts  of 
Illinois.  In  his  first  year's  practice  he  ex- 
perienced great  inconvenience  on  account  of 
the  panic  of  1857.  That  panic,  however, 
later  brought  him  much  business  in  the  legal 
line.  Soon  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mayo  & 
James,  which  continued  a  few  months,  when 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  James 
and  Chaunccy  Elhvood,  which  lasted  about 
two  years,  when  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved, and  Mr.  Lowell  associated  with  him- 
self, J.  Frank  Meeker,  now  a  prominent  at- 
torney in  the  west. 

On  the  20th  of  February,  1859,  at 
Sycamore,  Illinois,  Mr.  Lowell  was  united 
in  marriage  *with  Miss  Ann  P.James,  who 
was  born  May  i,  1833,  and  the  daughter  of 
.  Levi  and  C^rene  (Batchelder)  James.  No 
children  came  to  bless  their  union,  but  he 
and  his  wife  reared  to  mature  years  Lavinia 
S. ,  now  wife  of  George  W.  Dunton,  with 
whom  the  Judge  makes  his  home,  and  Gil- 

19 


bcrt  H.  Denton.  'I'hc  latter  studied  law 
under  the  instruction  of  his  adopted  father, 
and  is  now  in  the  manufacturing  business  in 
Denver,  Colorailo. 

In  1869  Mr.  Lowell  was  elected  to  the 
position  of  county  judge,  to  which  he  was 
re-elected  in  1873.  On  the  expiration  of 
his  second  official  term,  January  i,  1878,  he 
formed  a  partnersliip  with  I).  J.  Carnes, 
which  existed  until  .April  3,  1883,  when  the 
Judge  was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the 
position  he  had  formerly  held,  made  by  the 
resignation  of  Hon.  S.  B.  Stinson,  of  Sand- 
wich, Illinois. 

In  his  long  professional  career.  Judge 
Lowell  has  much  to  be  proud  of.  He  has 
been  eminently  successful  in  the  trial  of 
cases,  rarely  losing  a  cai:se  he  espoused,  and 
his  arduous  labors  have  brought  him  a  lib- 
eraj  competency.  His  professional  cares 
have  been  free  from  trickery  and  question- 
able practices,  so  often  resorted  to  by  mem- 
bers of  the  bar.  His  mind  is  analytical, 
logical  and  inductive.  With  a  thorough  and 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  law,  he  combines  a  fa- 
miliarity with  statutory  law,  and  a  sober, 
clear  judgment,  which  makes  him  not  only 
a  formidable  adversary  in  legal  combat,  but 
has  given  the  distinction  of  being  a  very  able 
jurist.  While  upon  the  bench,  he  showed 
his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  position  by  his 
C0(j1  and  even  temperament,  never  being 
swayed  by  any'of  the  tricks  of  the  profes- 
sion, and  when  his  judgment  was  rendered, 
it -was  always  found  to  be  correct  in  law,  as 
well  as  in  sound  common  sense. 

Judge  Lowell  has  ever  been  a  voracious 
reader,  and  his  fine  library  and  excellent  se- 
lection of  books  shows  the  bent  of  his  mind. 
He  has  taken  the  Cincinnati  Tribune  since 
1863,  and    the  .Atlantic    Monthly  since    the 


392 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


same  time.  Securing  the  previous  numbers 
he  now  has  a  complete  set  of  the  Monthly, 
comprising  eighty  volumes,  which  by  his  will, 
at  his  death,  goes  to  the  public  library  of 
Sycamore. 


WILLIAM  WATSON,  who  resides  on 
section  26,  Paw  Paw  township,  has 
been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb  county  since 
1851,  a  period  of  forty-seven  years.  He 
was  born  in  Sussex,  England,  April  18,  1818, 
and  is  the  son  of  William  Watson,  Sr. ,  also 
a  native  of  Sussex,  England,  who  there 
married  Elizabeth  Jarrett,  a  native  of  the 
same  county,  and  in  1 828  emigrated  with 
his  family  to  the  New  World,  taking  pas- 
sage in  a  sailing  vessel  from  London,  and 
being  about  one  month  on  the  ocean,  a 
very  quick  passage  for  those  days.  He  set- 
tled in  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  found 
employment  in  a  ship  yard,  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Our  subject  was  but  ten  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  across  the 
water,  and  in  Albany,  New  York,  grew  to 
manhood.  In  1838,  when  but  twenty  years 
old,  he  married  Agnes  Ferguson,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  and  English  descent. 
Her  father,  \\'illiam  Ferguson,  was  of 
Scotch  descent,  while  her  mother  was  of 
English  parentage.  After  his  marriage  he 
moved  to  Oswego,  New  York,  where  he 
learned  his  trade,  that  of  carpenter  and 
joiner,  and  was  employed  in  his  trade  until 
1851,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  counts', 
Illinois,  joining  some  old  neighbors  from 
New  York,  among  whom  was  George  C. 
Cooper,  who  located  here  some  three  years 
previously.  His  first  purchase  was  seventy 
acres  of  unimproved  land,  on  which  he 
erected  a  small  house,  and  commenced  the 


improvement  of  the  place.  For  about  two 
years  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  connection 
with  farming,  and  later  purchased  eighty 
acres  adjoining  the  home  place,  making  him 
a  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson,  six  children 
were  born,  four  of  whom  are  yet  living. 
One  died  in  infancy,  and  Elizabeth  N.  grew 
to  womanhood,  and  died  when  about  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age.  The  living  are  Robert 
T. ,  a  farmer  of  \'ictor  township;  Willi. iin, 
married,  and  residing  in  California,  where  lie 
is  engaged  in  the  apiar}-  business;  Edward 
M.,  married,  and  residing  on  the  old  home 
farm;  and  James,  a  farmer  of  Paw  Paw 
township.  Edward  M.  married  Ann  Hare, 
a  native  of  De  Kalb  county,  by  whom  he 
has  three  living  children.  One  died  at  the 
age  of  nine  years.  The  living  are  James, 
Ezra  G.  and  May. 

Politically  Mr.  Watson  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. Ill  early  life  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for 
James  K.  Polk.  He  voted  for  Fremont  in 
1856,  and  has  cast  his  presidential  ballot 
for  every  nominee  of  the  partj'  from  that 
time  to  the  present.  He  has  never  sought 
nor  would  he  ever  hold  office.  His  son, 
Edward  M.,  is  also  a  stanch  Republican. 
For  almost  half  a  century  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  De  Kalb  county.  When  became 
to  the  county  it  was  little  better  than  a 
wilderness,  and  he  has  lived  to  see  it  take 
rank  among  the  best  of  the  great  Prairie 
state. 


MYRON  M.  DEAN  is  one  of  the  younger 
farmers  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  re- 
sides on  section  3,  Sycamore  township, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


393 


stock  raising.  He  was  born  in  Genoa 
township,  a  short  distance  from  his  present 
residence,  November  4,  1864,  and  is  the 
son  of  Divine  Dean,  born  in  Sullivan  coun- 
ty, New  York,  December  14,  1834,  and  who 
died  September  16,  1897.  Divine  Dean 
grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state,  and 
came  west  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
Three  years  later  he  married  Lucinda 
Evans,  a  native  of  De  Kalb  county,  born  in 
Charter  Grove,  September  11,  1838,  and  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Frances  (Perry) 
Evans.  Benjamin  Evans  was  the  son  of 
William  and  Ola  (Mitchell)  Evans.  Frances 
Perry  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Char- 
ity (Dean)  Perry,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ashe  count)'.  North  Carolina,  born  October 
:;o,  1782,  and  who  died  in  Virginia  at  the 
age  of  ninetj'-two  years.  William  Perry 
was  the  son  of  Ebenzer  and  Christma 
Perry,  and  Charity  Dean  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Frances  Dean. 

Myron  M.  Dean  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  began  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  then  attended  the  Sycamore 
high  schools  for  two  years,  the  Paw  Paw 
seminary  one  year,  and  the  Genoa  high 
school  for  two  winters.  He  lived  in  Syca- 
more the  greater  part  of  the  time,  from 
1875  to  1879,  and  it  was  during  this  period 
that  he  attended  the  Sycamore  high  school. 
Later  he  resided  at  Anamosa,  Iowa,  for 
nearly  two  years,  then  returned  to  Syca- 
more, and  subsequently  removed  to  his 
present  farm.  He  remained  with  his  father 
until  after  attaining  his  majority,  then 
worked  for  various  farmers  for  a  year  and  a 
half,  after  which  he  rented  his  father's  farm, 
until  the  hitter's  death  in  September,  1897, 
since  which  time  he  has  continued  to  rent 
the  estate,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  excellent  farming  land.      As  a 


stock  farmer  he  has  met  with  success,  buy- 
ing and  feeding  for  the  general  market. 

Mr.  Dean  was  married  in  Genoa,  Illi- 
nois, to  Miss  Lenna  'A.  Brown,  a  native  of 
Genoa  township,  and  a  daughter  of  James 
P.  and  Susan  Brown,  of  whose  family  a 
more  extended  account  is  found  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  By  this  union  two  children 
have  been  born,  Jessie  and  Earl.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Dean  is  thoroughly  independent, 
voting  for  men,  not  party. 


JOHN  S.  AMES  is  the  owner  of  a  farm 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixteen  and 
a  quarter  acres  in  section  32,  Shabbona 
township.  He  was  born  in  Norfolk,  Eng- 
land, June  29,  1848,  and  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Ann  (Smith)  Ames,  both  natives 
of  England,  where  their  entire  lives  were 
spent,  both  dying  when  about  ninety  years 
of  age.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Norfolk 
and  Suffolk,  and  in  his  boyhood  had  fair 
common-school  advantages.  He  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  later  was  employed  on  the 
public  works.  He  was  married  in  Suffolk, 
October  11,  1868,  to  Eliza  Levell,  a  native 
of  Suffolk,  England,  and  a  daughter  of 
James  Levell,  who  was  a  contractor  on  the 
public  works,  and  also  engaged  in  office 
work,  being  a  man  of  tine  education.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ames  attended  the  same  school 
and  grew  to  man  and  ivomanhood  in  the 
same  locality. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ames  commenced  their 
domestic  life  in  Suffolk,  'vhere  he  ran  a 
small  store  which  he  continued  a  few  years, 
then  sold  out  and  in  1874  came  to  the  Uni- 
ted States.  Landing  at  Nesv  York,  they 
came  direct  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
where  some  English  friends  were  residing, 
and  through  whose  influence  they  came   to 


394 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


this  country.  On  their  arrival  Mr.  Ames 
went  to  work  on  the  farm  by  the  day  and 
month  at  Greentown  and  there  resided  for 
three  years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  in 
Shabbona  township  for  eight  years,  and  in 
1885  purchased  the  farm  where  they  now 
reside.  The  place  was  slightly  improved, 
but  since  locating  here  he  has  added  to  the 
improvements  already  made  by  tiling  the 
land  and  the  erection  of  a  dwelling  house 
and  various  outbuildings. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ames  are  the  parents  of 
four  children.  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Dave 
Ferguson,  a  farmer  of  Shabbona  township. 
Charles  J.  married  and  engaged  in  farming 
in  Shabbona  township.  Nettie  M.  is  a  well- 
educated  young  lady  and  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  De  Kalb  county.  George 
A.  is  a  young  man  residing  at  home  and  as- 
sisting in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm. 

In  1884  Mr.  Ames  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  James  G.  Blaine,  and  has 
since  given  his  support  to  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party.  Averse 
to  office  holding,  he  has  yet  been  prevailed 
upon  to  serve  as  director  in  his  school  dis- 
trict, being  a  stanch  advocate  of  good 
schools.  While  not  members,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ames  are  attendants  of  the  West  Shabbona 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Fraternally 
they  are  both  members  of  the  Home  Forum. 


HENRY  EUHUS  is  one  of  that  great 
number  of  men  who  came  from  the 
fatherland  to  free  America,  that  they  might 
have  an  opportunity  to  better  their  condi- 
tion in  life,  and  who  by  their  industry  and 
thrift,  have  added  greatly  to  the  material 
wealth  of  the  country.  He  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Prussia,  Germany,  November  4, 
1S42,  and    is   the   son  of    Jacob   and    Mary 


(Mylker)  Euhus,  both  natives  of  the  same 
country.  Jacob  Euhus  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Prussian  army  for  ten  years,  and  hati  his 
nose  and  one  ear  shot  off  in  battle.  In 
1855  he  left  his  native  land  for  America,  and 
was  seven  weeks  on  the  ocean.  Landing  at 
New  Orleans,  from  there  he  came  up  the 
Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis,  then  to  Du- 
buque, Iowa,  and  from  there  to  I'^reeport, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  accidentally  killed  on 
the  railroad,  leaving  a  widow  and  son  in  a 
strange  land.  The  widow  later  married 
again,  choosing  for  her  husband  John  Ackert, 
also  a  native  of  Germany.  He  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Forty-fifth  Regiment,  Illinois 
\'olunteer  Infantry,  at  Cherry  Valley,  Illi- 
nois, and  was  killed  in  battle  at  Fort  Henry. 
His  widow  later  received  a  pension,  and 
two  hundred  dollars  back  pay.  Henry 
Euhus  was  the  only  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
Euhus,  and  was  thirteen  years  old  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  the  United 
States.  His  education  was  obtained  in 
his  native  land,  having  only  the  privi- 
lege of  attending  school  for  two  months 
after  his  arrival  in  this  country.  The  sud- 
den death  of  his  father  rendered  it  neces- 
sary that  he  should  make  a  living  for  him- 
self. He  grew  to  manhood  in  Winnebago 
county,  and  on  the  loth  of  January,  1866, 
married  Miss  Rosetta  Miller,  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  and  a  daughter  of  Rudolph  and 
Elizabeth  (Lesherj  Miller,  both  natives  of 
the  same  country,  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  but  two  children,  Malissa  and  Rosetta. 
Mrs.  Euhus  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1859,  with  her  parents,  who  first  located  in 
Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and  in  i860  came  to 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Euhus  twelve  children 
have  been  born,  four  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy.     Those     living    are    John,    William, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


395 


Lizzie,  Emma,  Fred,  Elmer,  Joseph  and 
and  Hattie.  Religiously  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
Euhus  started  in  life  without  a  cent,  and 
for  years  worked  by  the  month  for  various 
farmers  and  others,  and  it  required  some 
years  of  toil  before  he  was  enabled  to  make 
his  first  purchase  of  land.  In  1867  he 
purchased  forty  acres  in  Franklin  township, 
near  Kirkland,  on  section  14,  and  at  once 
commenced  its  improvement.  From  time 
to  time  he  added  to  his  possessions  until  he 
has  now  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  all  of 
which  is  under  the  highest  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, with  improvements  in  keeping  with  the 
day  and  age. 


ALFRED  KING,  deceased,  was  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Genoa  township,  re- 
siding on  section  34.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Braceville,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio, 
May  24,  1848,  and  was  the  son  of  William 
King,  born  June  6,  1817,  in  Essex  county, 
New  York,  and  the  grandson  of  Reuben  and 
Roxina  (De  Wolf)  King,  both  natives  of 
Massachusetts,  who  in  an  earh'  day  moved 
to  New  York.  William  King  married  .Mrs. 
Hannah  (Dowd)  Miller,  widow  of  William 
Miller,  and  a  native  of  New  York,  born  De- 
cember 12,  1817.  Of  their  five  children, 
.Alfred  was  third  in  order  of  birth.  William 
King  died  at  Tilden,  Madison  county,  Ne- 
braska, May  5,  1888. 

Alfred  King  came  to  Illinois  at  the  ago 
of  five  years,  and  was  reared  on  the  old 
homestead  taken  up  by  his  father  on  sec- 
tion 3,  Genoa  township.  His  education 
was  obtained  in  the  district  schools,  and 
he  began  farming  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years.      He  first  rented  some  land. 


but  soon  purchased  eighty  acres,  with  some 
assistance  received  from  his  father.  He  later 
sold  that  tract  and  put  the  money  out  at  in- 
terest and  lost  it  all,  and  thus  had  to  begin 
with  nothing  again.  He  soon  bought  a  farm 
in  Genoa  township,  where  Mrs.  King  now 
resides,  and  later  a  farm  adjoining,  giving 
him  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  in 
Genoa  township,  together  with  thirty  acres 
of  timber  land  in  Sycamore  township.  He 
became  quite  prosperous  and  a  very  highly 
respected  man.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republi- 
can, and  served  for  many  j-ears  as  a  school 
director.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  July  31,  1897,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  churcii,  and 
took  great  interest  in  the  Sunday-school 
work,  being  a  teacher  in  the  school. 

.■\lfred  King  was  twice  married,  first  with 
Mary  Belinda  Evans,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Francis  (Perry)  Evans,  and  to  them 
were  born  one  son,  William  L.  King,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  His  second  union  was  with  Miss  Fan- 
nie Hunt  and  the  marriage  ceremony  was 
celebrated  June  14,  1882.  She  was  born  in 
Lisbon,  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  but  resided 
the  most  of  her  life  near  Morris,  Grundy 
county,  Illinois,  her  education  being  re- 
ceived in  the  district  school,  and  a  select 
school  at  Morris,  Illinois.  She  taught 
school  for  many  terms  in  Grundy  county. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Peleg  T.  Hunt,  born  in 
the  town  of  West  Lebanon,  Columbia 
county.  New  York,  August  10,  1823.  and 
who  went  to  Rensselaer  county  with  his 
])arents  in  the  summer  of  1836.  where  he 
attended  the  district  school  until  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  His  father,  William  F. 
Hunt,  was  also  a  native  of  Columbia  coun- 
ty, born  in  February,  1798,  and  died  in 
March,    1866,    in   Grundy  county,    Illinois. 


596 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


William  F.  Hunt  was  a  son  of  Capt.  Will- 
iam Hunt,  a  farmer,  born  in  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  in  1768  and  died  in  1853. 
His  wife  was  Susanna  Fellows,  born  in 
1768  and  died  in  1S54.  His  title  of  cap- 
tain was  derived  from  service  in  the  war  of 
18 1  2,  as  commander  of  a  militia  compan\'. 
William  F.  Hunt  married  Betsy  Tabor, 
born  in  Rensselaer,  New  York,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1 79 1,  and  a  daughter  of  Gresham  Ta- 
bor, who  married  Anna  Finch,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Finch.  Mrs.  Betsy  Hunt  died  in 
1878.  Peleg  T.  Hunt  was  married  in  Nas- 
sau, Rensselaer  count}-.  New  York,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1846,  to  Mary  Cummings,  a  native 
of  that  town  and  county,  born  February  9, 
1827,  and  a  daughter  of  Russell  D.  and 
Sophia  (Thomas)  Cummings,  her  father 
being  a  son  of  .^bel  Cummings,  and  her 
mother  a  daughter  of  Silas  and  Chloe  (Very) 
Thomas.  To  Peleg  T.  and  Mary  Hunt  four 
children  were  born,  as  follows:  George  W., 
a  grain  dealer  of  Charter  Grove;  Mrs.  Leo- 
nora J.  Hutchinson,  of  Joliet,  Illinois;  Mrs. 
Frances  King,  widow  of  our  subject ;  and 
Mrs.  Emma  L.  Hutchinson,  of  Joliet. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  three  children 
were  born:  Howard  Hunt,  Harvey  Elbert 
and  Edna  Jeannette.  Mrs.  King,  who  is  a 
woman  of  superior  ability,  is  yet  carrying 
on  the  home  farm.  She  is  well  known  and 
has  man\'  friends  in  Genoa  and  Sycamore 
townships. 


JE.  STOTT,  dealer  in  real  estate  and 
the  efficient  mayor  of  Genoa,  was  born 
in  Maine  township.  Cook  county,  Illinois, 
May  2,  1846.  His  father,  Uriah  Stott,  was 
a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  born  in 
1826,  and  who  came  to  America  in  1843, 
coming    direct    to    Cook  count}-,    Illinois, 


where  he  purchased  the  farm  on  which  our 
subject  was  born.  He  married  Elizabeth 
M.  Thornton,  also  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  who  was  killed  in  a  runaway  at 
Rand's  bridge,  over  the  Des  Plaincs  river,  in 
Cook  county.  This  was  in  August,  1884, 
her  death  occurring  when  she  was  sixty- 
eight  years  old.  By  trade  Uriah  Stott  was 
a  tailor  and  clothier,  but  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Cook  county.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  held  many  of  the  local 
offices  in  that  county.  He  was  a  Quaker  by 
birth,  but  united  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  in  which  faith  he  died,  .-^fter 
the  death  of  his  wife  he  retired  from  active 
business  life  and  moved  to  Rockford,  Illi- 
nois, where  his  death  occurred  January  13, 
1892.  With  his  wife  he  twice  visited  his 
native  land  after  coming  to  America,  but 
both  returned  to  die  in  their  new  home. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children  : 
William  T.,  of  Barrington,  Illinois  ;  J.  E. , 
our  subject  ;  Joseph  \\'.,  of  Des  Plaines, 
Illinois  ;  Elizabeth  Ann,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  years,  and  Charles,  residing 
at  Des  Plaines. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood on  his  father's  farm  in  Cook  county 
and  attended  the  district  school  until  the 
age  of  eighteen  years.  He  then  spent  two 
years  in  Danforth's  Commercial  College  in 
Chicago,  after  which  he  clerked  in  a  gro- 
cery store  in  that  city  for  a  short  time.  In 
the  spring  of  1S66,  in  partnership  with  a 
brother,  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Chicago,  and  later  removed  to  Barrington, 
Cook  county,  where  he  continued  in  the 
mercantile  business  until  1875.  He  then 
moved  to  Genoa  and  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising, in  which  he  continued  until  1884, 
when  he  sold  out,  since  which  time  he  has 
been   in    the   real-estate  business    and  has 


I 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


397 


handled  much  local  real  estate,  while  deal- 
ing quite  extensively  in  southern  and  west- 
ern lands.  In  1S92  he  laid  out  forty-eight 
acres,  which  comprises  Stott's  addition  to 
Genoa.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
thirtj-five  acres  near  the  village,  in  which 
his  sons  are  interested  in  the  breeding  of 
Shetland  ponies  and  registered  stock.  He 
is  also  interested  in  Chicago  real  estate  and 
has  some  fine  holdings  in  that  city. 

Mr.  Stott  was  married  in  Fremont  Cen- 
ter, Lake  county,  Illinois.  October  30,  1872, 
to  Miss  Josephine  M.  Millard,  of  that  place, 
born  December  1 1,  1849,  and  a  daughter  of 
Johnson  and  Arvilla  M.  (Houghton)  Millard, 
the  latter  now  living  in  Wauconda,  Lake 
county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years.  Johnson  Millard  was  a  native  of 
\'ermont,  and  in  1850  crossed  the  plains  to 
California,  where  he  remained  five  years. 
His  death  occurred  in  October,  18S2.  To 
our  subject  and  wife  eight  children  have 
been  born,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living. 
Frank  H.  is  employed  in  the  office  of  the 
Swiss  consul  in  Chicago.  Gilbert  E.  read 
law  with  Stephens  &  Earlj',  of  Sycamore, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  June  7,  1S97,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  practice 
in  Genoa.  Grace  E.,  James  R. ,  Zoe  A., 
-Alfred  \V.,  Paul  E.  and  Marcus  \ictor,  yet 
remain  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stott  is  a  thorough  Re- 
publican, and  takes  an  active  interest  in  po- 
litical affairs.  He  was  township  treasurer 
while  residing  in  Barrington,  and  since  com- 
inj;  to  Genoa  has  served  some  fifteen  years 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education. 
For  the  past  six  years  he  has  been  mayor 
of  the  village,  the  duties  of  which  office  he 
discharges  faithfully  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Odd 
Fellows,  including  the  Rebecca  degree,  the 


Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  As  an  official  he 
has  the  best  interests  of  his  town  at  heart, 
and  freely  gives  of  his  time  to  advance  its 
material  interests. 


LESTER  J.  BROWNE,  one  of  the 
younger  and  highly  esteemed  farmers 
of  De  Kalb  county,  owns  and  cultivates  an 
excellent  piece  of  farm  land  situated  on  sec- 
tion 1 1,  Milan  township,  and  comprising  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  improve- 
ments, yield  and  fertility,  his  property  ranks 
with  the  best  in  the  county.  The  residence 
and  outbuildings  are  thoroughly  modern, 
and  all  the  improvements,  such  as  fencing, 
tiling,  and  abundance  of  shade  trees,  indi- 
cate a  pride  and  interest  in  its  possession. 
Mr.  Browne  is  a  native  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
July  29,  i860.  His  father,  Nathaniel 
Browne,  was  reared  and  educated  within 
three  miles  of  Londonderry.  Ireland,  and 
comes  from  a  family  celebrated  for  their 
educational  attainments,  culture  and  integ- 
rity. His  brother,  William,  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  and  leading  property  owner 
of  De  Kalb  county,  is  a  Methodist  preacher 
of  high  repute  throughout  this  section,  and 
another  brother,  who  now  cultivates  the 
home  farm  in  Ireland,  studied  and  graduated 
in  law  and  for  several  years  was  a  success- 
ful practitioner.  Nathaniel  was  the  oldest 
member  of  the  family,  and  by  English  law 
the  right  of  primogeniture  gave  him  at  his 
father's  death  all  right  and  title  to  the  fa- 
ther's property,  which  was  considerable. 
Being  both  young  and  ambitious  and  desir- 
ing to  see  the  world,  and  be  the  builder  of 
his  own  fortunes,  he  relinquished  all  claim 
to  his  prospective  inheritance,  and  with  his 


398 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


brother,  \N'illiain,  came  ti)  America  in  1855 
and  located  on  a  quarter  section  in  Milan 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  At 
that  time  the  country  was  thinly  settled, 
but  with  persistence  born  of  determination, 
a  healthful  vigor  and  industrious  habits,  he 
set  about  cultivating  the  wild  prairie  lands, 
making  such  improvements  as  his  means  and 
facilities  afforded.  On  the  death-  of  Na- 
thaniel Browne,  April  19,  1896,  his  farm 
land,  consisting  of  two  hundred  acres,  was 
bequeathed  to  his  son,  Lester  J.,  and  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Smith,  the  former 
securing  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and 
the  latter  eighty  acres.  The  mother  now 
resides  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Smith,  in 
Milan  township. 

Lester  ].  l>rowne's  school  days  covered 
the  period  of  his  life  up  to  twenty  years  of 
age.  After  an  elementary  education,  se- 
cured in  the  neighboring  district  schools, 
he  entered  Jennings  Seminary  at  Aurora  and 
for  a  period  studied  to  acquire  a  liberal  ed- 
ucation. Leaving  the  seminary  he  returned 
to  the  farm  and  began  in  earnest  the  life  of 
a  farmer.  On  the  22d  of  February,  1890, 
he  married  an  estimable  lady,  Miss  Sarah  G. 
Smith,  daughter  of  Henry  W.  Smith,  a  well- 
to-do  retired  farmer  residing  at  De  Kalb. 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Les- 
lie N.,  Henry  W.,  deceased,  and  William  C. 

Appreciating  educational  advantages, 
and  fully  alive  to  the  fact  that  the  standard 
of  citizenship  is  raised  through  and  by  means 
of  the  school  room,  Mr.  Browne  has  at  all 
times  given  the  public  schools  his  ardent 
support.  His  activity  in  this  direction  is 
best  understood  when  it  is  known  that 
nearly  all  the  intervening  years  since  his  ma- 
jority he  has,  in  his  capacity  of  school  di- 
director,  given  close  attention  to  educational 
affairs. 


Mr.  Browne  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  his  ballot  is  cast  in  the  in- 
dorsement of  its  principles  and  for  the  nom- 
inees of  the  conventions  of  his  party, 
whether  national,  state  or  county.  Follow- 
ing the  tradititons  and  convictions  of  his 
ancestors,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  responds  promptly  to 
its  support  by  active  co-operation  in  all  its 
work.  He  is  of  a  quiet  and  retiring  dispo- 
sition, affable  in  address  and  manners,  and 
is  one  of  De  Kalb  county's  younger  farmers 
whose  probity  and  honorable  methods  find 
recognition  in  the  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  and  spoken  of  by  all  who  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


A 


RCHIE  G.  KENNEDY,  an  attorney 
residing  in  De  Kalb,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  active  practice  of  law,  was  born 
in  Midway,  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  24,  1866,  and  is  the  son  of 
Re\-.  David  S.  and  Nancy  W.  (Kelly)  Ken- 
nedy, the  former  a  native  of  Coitsville, 
Mahoning  county,  Ohio,  born  April  25, 
1834,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  Indiana, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania.  David  S. 
Kennedy  received  his  education  in  Poland 
Academv,  Ohio,  and  Westminster  College, 
Pennsylvania,  graduating  from  the  latter 
institution  in  the  class  of  1858,  his  wife  also 
graduating  in  the  same  class.  He  received 
his  theological  training  at  the  .\llegheny 
Theological  Seminary,  completing  the  course 
in  I  86 1 .  The  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Parsons  College,  of  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, Iowa,  in  1884.  His  work  in  the  min- 
istry covered  a  period  of  thirty-seven  years 
in  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  David 
S.  Kennedy  and  family  moved  to  De  Kalb 
county    in    December,     187S,    locating     in 


A.   G.    KENNEDY. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


401 


Somonauk  township,  where  he  assumed 
charge  of  the  Somonauk  U.  P.  church. 
He  held  the  charge  until  December, 
1893,  when  he  retired  from  ministry  and 
moved  to  Chicago  where  he  remained  until 
March,  189S,  when  he  returned  to  De  Kalb 
county.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  talents. 
a  deep  thinker  and  a  fluent  speaker.  His 
death  occurred  May  17,  1898. 

His  family  consisted  of  ten  children, 
five  girls,  namely:  Sarah  Elizabeth,  Hell, 
Mary,  Tillie  and  Annie  Margretta,  and  five 
boys,  namely:  Harry,  Reid,  Archie  G., 
James  B.  and  Thomas  W.  Seven  of  these 
children  are  still  living.  Bell,  Mary  and 
James  B.  having  preceded  their  father  to 
their  final  rest;  Harry,  in  February,  1898, 
went  to  Mariopol,  Russia,  where  he  is  now 
superintendent  of  the  interests  of  the  Nico- 
pol  Mariopol  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Com- 
pany; Reid  is  maj'or  of  Homestead,  Penn- 
sylvania; Sarah  E.  is  married  to  Thomas  C. 
Hare  and  resides  in  Allegheny  City,  Penn- 
sylvania: Tillie  occupies  a  position  in  Chi- 
cago and  Annie  M.  and  Thomas  \V.  reside 
with  their  mother  in  \'ictor  township,  this 
count}'. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Archie  G. 
Kenned}',  has  received  an  unusually  thor- 
ough and  liberal  education,  in  addition  to 
his  excellent  home  training.  He  com- 
menced his  school  education  in  Sewickley, 
Pennsylvania;  later  he  attended  the  high 
school  at  Sandwich,  Illinois,  and  from 
1882  to  1884  he  attended  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Normal,  Illinois.  He  then 
went  to  Dakota,  where  he  was  engaged  as 
a  civil  engineer,  but  returned  in  the  fall  of 
1884.  In  1884-6  he  taught  school  in  De 
Kalb  county,  and  m  the  fall  of  the  latter 
year  entered  Monmouth  College,  where  he 
spent    two    years.       In    1888    he    went    to 


Homestead,  Pennsylvania,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  employed  in  the  Carnegie 
Steel  Works.  He  then  returned  to  Mon- 
mouth College,  where  he  completed  his 
course  and  graduated  with  high  honors  in 
June,  1892.  After  graduating  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  county  and  read  law  with  Carnes 
&  Dunton,  prominent  attorneys  of  Sycamore, 
and  took  charge  of  their  branch  office  at  De 
Kalb.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  lune 
19,  1894,  after  passing  an  e.xamination  be- 
fore the  appellate  court  at  Ottawa,  which 
was  later  confirmed  by  the  supreme  court. 
After  his  admission  to  the  bar  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy continued  with  Carnes  &  Dunton  until 
January  i,  1895,  ^t  which  time  a  partner- 
ship was  formed  with  \\'.  L.  Pond,  which 
relation  lasted  until  June  i,  1897,  when  Mr. 
Pond  was  elected  county  judge.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedj'  is  one  of  De  K.alb  county's  promising 
attorneys,  and  has  that  material  in  him  by 
birth,  training  and  education  which  makes 
successful  as  well  as  useful  and  honorable 
men.  His  patronage  keeps  pace  with  his 
growth  in  favor. 


MARSHALL  STARK,  deceased.  — 
Wherever  there  is  pioneer  work  to  be 
done,  men  of  energy  and  ability  are  re- 
quired, and  success  or  failure  depends  upon 
the  degree  of  those  qualities  that  is  pos- 
sessed. In  wresting  the  land  from  its  nat- 
ural wildness.  in  fitting  it  for  the  habitation 
of  men.  in  developing  the  natural  resources 
of  the  community  in  which  they  live,  few  if 
any  have  contributed  more  largely  than 
Marshall  Stark,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  De 
Kalb  county,  who  has  left  a  name  honored 
and  revered.  He  came  to  the  county  in  the 
vanguard  of  civilization,  and  by  his  energy 
and  industry,  and  the  exercise  of  fine  busi- 


402 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ness  judgment,  he  accumulated  a  comfort- 
able fortune,  giving  his  children  a  start  in 
life  far  bej'ond  that  which  he  possessed. 

Marshall  Stark  was  born  in  Luzerne 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  12,  1S13,  and 
was  reared  in  his  native  county,  where  he 
received  a  good  practical  common  school 
education,  and  for  a  time  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. He  was  the  son  of  Oliver  and  Betsy 
(Dixon')  Stark,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  descendants  from  old  New 
England  stock,  springing  from  the  same 
parent  stem  as  General  Stark  of  Benning- 
ton fame.  On  attaining  his  majority,  in 
the  summer  of  1834,  he  came  west,  and 
located  a  claim  near  Kockford,  Winnebago 
county,  Illinois,  but  made  no  permanent 
settlement.  Returning  to  Pennsylvania,  he 
taught  school  during  the  succeeding  winter, 
and  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1 837, 
when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
located  a  claim  on  what  is  now  sections  20 
and  2  I ,  Sycamore  township,  which  he  pur- 
chased from  the  general  go\ernment  as  soon 
as  the  land  came  into  market.  On  his  ar- 
rival he  built  a  log  house  near  the  timber 
and  began  improving  his  land. 

In  the  fall  of  1841,  Mr.  Stark  re-visited 
his  Pennsylvania  home,  and  on  the  5th  of 
October  he  married  Miss  Louisa  Tyler,  a 
native  of  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  December  16,  1820,  in  the  town 
of  Dimock,  and  the  daughter  of  Royal  and 
Mary  (Southwich)  Tyler.  A  few  weeks 
later  he  brought  his  young  bride  to  his  new 
home,  and  in  the  log  cabin  they  lived  for 
three  years,  when  he  erected  a  comfortable 
frame  house,  which  was  their  happy  home 
for  many  long  years.  From  that  time  he 
began  that  prosperous  career  that  stamped 
him  one  of  De  Kalb  county's  most  energetic 
and   thriftv   men.      No  little  credit    for   his 


success  in  life  was  due  to  his  faithful  wife, 
who,  coming  from  the  refined  east,  con- 
tented herself  in  the  lowly  cabin,  making  it 
as  comfortable  as  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  who  naturally  stepped  from 
that  humble  abode  to  the  more  pretentious 
one.  She  was  ever  a  helpmeet  to  him,  in- 
deed, and  possessed  many  of  the  same 
qualities  with  which  he  was  endowed.  Few 
women  have  e\er  shown  more  energy  and 
executive  ability  than  Mrs.  Stark.  During 
the  trip  of  her  husband  through  the  country, 
by  her  vigorous  management  affairs  at  home 
went  on  as  smoothly  as  if  the  head  of  the 
house  was  there.  By  1848  Mr.  Stark  had 
risen  to  sufficient  prominence  to  be  called 
upon  to  fill  the  office  of  sheriff  of  the  county, 
which  position  he  filled  for  three  years. 
During  his  incumbency  of  the  office  he 
opened  a  hotel  in  Sycamore  which  he  con- 
ducted for  six  years,  and  then  returned  to 
the  farm,  which  was  his  home  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  By  the  citizens  of 
his  township  he  was  honored  with  several 
local  offices,  serving  as  assessor,  school 
commissioner  and  supervisor,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  county  board  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Mr.  Stark  was  a  man  of  \ersatile  busi- 
ness qualifications.  While  farming  was  his 
principal  business  through  life,  he  became 
interested  in  the  stock  and  grain  business 
and  for  years  was  engaged  in  buying  and 
selling,  doing  a  large  and  profitable  busi- 
ness. Later  in  life  he  turned  his  attention 
to  the  lumber  trade,  spencing;  two  winters 
in  the  pineries  of  Michigan.  In  partnership 
with  his  son  Theron,  he  opened  a  large 
lumber  yard  in  Sycamore  and  developed  an 
extensive  and  profitable  business. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stark  ten  children 
were  born:      Harmon  M.  is  a   farmer  resid- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


403 


ing  in  Kingston  township.  Martha  S.  mar- 
ried Hosea  W.  Alwood,  and  lives  in  Jasper 
coiintv.  Iowa.  Mary  E.  married  Curtis 
Harris,  of  Genoa  township.  Jefferson  O., 
Henr)-  J.,  and  Theron  M.  coroprise  the 
firm  of  Stark  Bros. .dealers  in  grain,  hay  and 
stock,  at  Sycamore,  Illinois.  Ada  L.  mar- 
ried James  Maitland,  and  the\"  reside  in 
Sycamore  township.  Ella  A.  married  .\. 
W.  Brower,  of  Sycamore.  Emma  J.  mar- 
ried Charles  Wiggins,  of  Story  county, 
Iowa.  Hattie  M.  married  Burton  \V.  Lee, 
of  Sycamore  township. 

Of  the  ten  children,  all  survive,  and  it 
was  the  parents'  pleasure  to  see  them  all 
well  married  and  settled  in  life.  It  was  a 
comfort  to  both  in  their  last  moments  to 
have  all  their  children  around  their  bedside, 
and  to  have  a  last  look  upon  each  well-loved 
face  ere  Death  claimed  his  own.  Mr.  Stark 
was  called  to  his  rest  December  26,  18S2, 
while  Mrs.  Stark  died  July  i,  1892.  They 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  of  Sycamore — having  contributed 
very  materially  to  its  erection,  also  assisted 
in  building  two  other  churches  in  this 
locality. 


HENRY  KOCH,  a  representative  farmer 
of  Franklin  township,  and  founder  of 
the  village  of  Fairdale.  was  born  in  Lycoming 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  7,  1835,  and 
is  a  son  of  Freerdick  and  Julia  (Speilman) 
Koch,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  of  Germany,  who  came  with 
her  parents  to  America  when  but  eight  years 
old,  being  eight  weeks  on  the  ocean.  Fred- 
erick and  Julia  Koch  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  —  Henry,  Mary,  Jacob,  John, 
Washington,  Isaac,  Levi,  Fred  and  Aman- 
da,   one    died    in    infancy.       The    paternal 


grandfather,  Fred  Koch,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  while  the  great-grandfather 
came  from  Irelanij. 

In  1848  Fred  Koch  came  with  his  family 
to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  arriving  here 
on  the  1 8th  of  May.  He  first  purchased 
eighty  acres  just  across  the  line  in  Ogle 
county,  and  kept  adding  to  his  original 
tract  until  he  had  over  eight  hundred  acres 
of  good  farm  land.  To  each  of  his  sons, 
as  they  left  the  parental  home,  he  gave 
eighty  acres  of  land.  Success  followed 
him  in  all  his  undertakings,  and,  although 
he  came  to  the  state  with  but  five  hundred 
dollars,  by  his  industry  and  economical  hab- 
its he  became  a  man  of  wealth.  He  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  thirteen 
years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Illinois.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
farm  and  did  his  full  share  in  its  cultiva- 
tion and  in  the  general  improvement.  His 
education  was  but  limited  and  confined  to 
the  common  schools.  On  the  1st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1863,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Julia  Rickard,  a  native  of  Herkimer 
county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Rickard.  who  came  to  Illinois  and  located 
in  Ogle  county  in  a  very  early  day.  By 
this  union  thtre  are  four  children,  George, 
Jeannette,  Wallace  and  Frederick  Earl. 

In  all  his  business  operations  Mr.  Koch 
has  had  the  same  success  that  has  attended 
his  father.  On  his  farm  is  located  the  vil- 
lage of  Fairdale,  which  he  had  surveyed  and 
platted  in  May,  1875.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  with  which  party  he  has  been  iden- 
tified since  attaining  his  majority.  Thor- 
oughly enterprising  and  a  practical  farmer, 
he  endeavors  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times. 
Well  known  and  respected  by  all,  he  is  one 
of  De  Kalb  countv's  best  citizens. 


404 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


JOHN  HADSALL,  junior  member  of  the 
firin  of  Merritt  &  Hadsall,  contractors 
and  builders  of  Genoa,  was  born  in  Riley 
township,  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1849.  His  father,  Edwin  Had- 
sall, was  born  in  North  Moreland,  Wyoming 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  4,  18  15,  and 
died  on  his  farm  in  Riley  township,  Mc- 
Henry county,  Illinois,  May  17,  1887.  He 
remained  in  his  nati\e  county  until  the  age 
of  thirtv  years,  when  he  came  west  to  Illi- 
nois, drivinj;  through  from  Pennsyhania, 
with  his  wife  and  three  children.  They 
left  their  Pennsylvania  home  April  26,  1846, 
and  reached  McHenry  county  May  26, 
1846.  They  settled  on  Coon  creek,  where 
the  father  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  but  added  to  his  possessions 
until  he  had  three  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  youth 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  before  coming  to  Illinois.  Ed- 
win Hadsall  married  Elizabeth  Daily,  a  na- 
tive of  Wyoming  countj'  and  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Daily,  who  married  a  Miss  Fitch. 
They  became  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
three  of  whom  were  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  the  remainder  in  Illinois.  The  chil- 
dren are  Mrs.  Millie  Hewett,  who  is  now 
deceased;  Mrs.  Myra  Flick,  iff  I^os  .Ang- 
eles, California;  George,  a  contractor  in 
Chicago;  John,  our  subject;  Charles  residing 
near  Los  Angeles,  California;  James,  in 
business  in  Rockford;  Elmer,  living  near 
Mason  City,  Iowa;  Rose  residing  in  May  field 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois;  and 
Mrs.  Lena  McCafferty,  of  Rockford,  Illinois. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Amos  Had- 
sall was  born  in  what  is  now  Wyoming 
county,  but  then  Luzerne  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1791,  and  died  in  Kansas  in  1S68, 
at  the    residence   of  his  son,  Charles.      He 


was  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker  by 
trade,  and  was  a  fifer  in  the  war  of  18 12, 
being  with  Scott  at  Niagara.  He  kept  his 
old  fife  until  his  death.  The  paternal 
great-grandfather,  Jonathan  Hadsall,  with 
a  brother  James,  were  all  that  were  left  of 
a  family  of  ten  children,  the  father,  mother 
and  eight  children  being  killed  by  Indians 
in  the  Wyoming  massacre.  .\11  the  men 
were  working  in  a  cornfield  at  the  time  of 
the  massacre,  but  two  of  the  l)oys  escaped. 
The)'  went  to  Connecticut  from  where  the 
family  came  and  there  resided  until  afier 
the  war.  then  returned  to  Wyoming  connty, 
secured  their  father's  farm  and  both  reared 
large  families.  The  Hadsalls  were  parti- 
sans of  Roger  Williams  and  left  Massa- 
chusetts with  him  for  Rhode  Island,  and 
later  went  to  Connecticut  and  from  there  to 
Pennsylvania.  Amos  Hadsall  married  a 
Miss  Parks,  and  of  their  five  children,  Ed- 
win, the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  first. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  attend- 
ing the  district  schools  in  Riley  township, 
McHenry  county,  spent  five  years  in  the 
Sycamore  grammar  and  high  schools  and 
one  year  at  the  State  University  at  Cham- 
paign. He  began  teaching  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  before  completing  his  education. 
In  all  he  has  taught  some  twenty-two  years. 
For  four  years  prior  to  going  to  Champaign 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching.  He  taught 
nine  years  in  Buck  district,  Riley  townshi[i, 
McHenry  county;  two  years  in  the  Java 
district  in  the  same  township;  eight  \'ears 
in  his  home  district;  two  years  in  the  Pleas- 
ant Hill  district,  Mayfield  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  and  one  year  in  the  Ney  dis- 
trict, De  Kalb  county.  His  many  years  in 
the  same  nearby  districts  attest  his  profi- 
ciency as  an  educator. 

Mr.  Hadsall  was   married   September  9, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


405 


1874,  in  Sycamore,  to  Miss  Celesta  Ben- 
nett, a  native  of  Lycoming  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Lovina 
(Corson)  Bennett,  who  came  west  in  1S6S 
and  settled  in  Ri!e\^  township,  McHenrj' 
county,  Illinois,  where  the  father  died  in 
the  spring  of  1S91.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Had- 
sall  two  children  have  been  born,  Amory  1). 
and  Gracie  Belle. 

In  the  spring  of  1SS8  Mr.  Hadsall  came 
to  Genoa  and  associated  himself  with  Mr. 
Merritt  in  contracting  and  building,  having 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  in  sum- 
mers before  coming  to  Genoa.  Since  the 
partnership  has  been  formed  the  business 
has  been  largely  increased  and  large  con- 
tracts taken.  Fraternally  Mr.  Hadsall  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order.  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  \\'oodmen 
of  America  and  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 
In  politics  he  is  an  independent  Democrat, 
and  when  on  the  farm  was  collector  live 
years  and  was  a  supervisor  seven  years  and 
was  a  prominent  candidate  for  county 
superintendent  of  schools  in  1898. 


GURDOX  H.  DENNIS  is  a  farmer  re- 
siding on  section  i,  De  Kalb  township, 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  He  was  born  in 
Eagle  township,  Allegany  county.  New 
York,  December  31,  1831,  and  is  the  son 
of  George  \V.  and  Phebe  (Partridge)  Den- 
nis, the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
the  latter  of  Connecticut.  The  Dennis 
family  are  of  English  parentage,  while  the 
Partridges  are  of  French  descent. 

George  \V.  Dennis  was  by  trade  a  car- 
penter, and  a  first-class  workman.  He  re- 
moved west  with  his  family  of  ten  children 
in  July.  1S44,  locating  in  Mayfield  township, 


De  Kalb  county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  on  which  a  primitive  log- 
house  had  been  erected,  and  about  twenty 
acres  undej  the  plow.  This  farm  he  im- 
proved and  increased  its  boundaries  by  add- 
ing forty  acres  more,  then  twenty  of  timber. 
For  some  years  after  coming  west  he  devoted 
the  greater  portion  of  his  time  to  his  trade, 
but  as  age  advanced  he  turned  his  attention 
e.xclusively  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  ability,  and  in 
his  younger  days  taught  school.  Religiously 
he  was  a  Universalist.  He  lived  to  be  over 
seventy-si.\  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in 
about  iS6i,  at  the  age  of  fifty-si.x  years. 

In  the  the  family  of  George  W.  and 
Phebe  Dennis  were  ten  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He 
was  twelve  years  old  when  he  arrived  with 
his  parents  in  Mayfield  township,  and  four- 
teen when  he  left  the  parental  roof  to  hew 
out  his  own  destiny.  After  working  out  for 
three  years,  and  when  but  seventeen  years 
old,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of 
wild  prairie  land,  which  he  at  once  began 
to  cultivate,  and  for  which  he  paid  in  two 
years.  He  worked  on  his  farm  and  for 
other  persons  alternatelj',  till  he  reached 
his  twenty-third  year,  when  he  wearied  of 
living  a  bachelor's  life  on  the  farm.  There- 
fore, on  the  29th  of  August,  1855,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Louise  Oster- 
hout,  a  native  of  Mayfield  township,  born 
December  7,  1838,  and  a  daughter  of  Al- 
bert and  Polly  Osterhout.  By  this  union 
si.\  children  were  born:  Fremont  A.,  May 
6,  1857;  Nettie  A.,  January  22,  1859;  Mary 
E.,  .April  6,  1 861;  Carrie  B.,  December  10, 
1864:  Mina  L. ,  September  13,  1866,  and 
who  died  August  3,  1872;  Amos  H.,  May 
18,  1869,  and  who  died  in  September, 
1895. 


4o6 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Immediately  after  marriage,  Mr.  Dennis 
located  on  his  farm,  where  he  resided  for 
twenty-five  years.  In  1880,  he  sold  that 
farm,  and  removed  to  North  Sycamore, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  then  went  to 
Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-five 
acres,  on  which  he  lived  four  years.  In 
1886  he  exchanged  that  farm  for  his  pres- 
ent one  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-four 
acres  in  section  i,  De  Kalb  township. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Dennis  was 
solemnized  March  16, 1880, when  he  married 
Miss  Edith  Chatfield,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Chatfield,  who  was  a  native  of  England. 
She  came  to  this  country  in  1878.  By  this 
union  three  children  were  born:  Grace  C, 
January  13,  18S1;  Robert  G.,  April  15, 
1882;  and  Myrtle  T.,  November  21,  1892. 
Mrs.  Dennis  was  born  in  London,  England, 
November  10,  1S51.  Religiously  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dennis  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Both  enjoy  the  respect 
of  all  their  friends  and  neighbors. 


CHARLES  V.WEDDELL,  a  prosperous 
farmer  residing  on  section  20,  Paw  Paw 
township,  is  the  owner  of  seven  hundred 
and  thirty  acres,  lying  in  sections  18,  20  and 
21,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He 
is  a  native  of  Paw  Paw  township,  born  on 
the  family  homestead  August  8,  1853,  and 
is  the  son  of  \\'.  B.  and  Agnes  G.  \\'eddell, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old 
home  place,  which  adjoins  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides.  His  primary  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools,  after 
which  he  entered  the  Paw  Paw  Teachers' 
Institute  and  Classical  Seminary,  and  later 
attended  Jennings  Seminary  at  Aurora.  Illi- 


nois, completing  his  literary  education  in 
the  college  at  Naperville,  Illinois.  He  re- 
mained with  his  father  on  the  farm,  assist- 
ing in  the  work  until  he  attained  his 
majority. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1877,  in  Paw  Paw 
township,  Mr.  Weddell  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  Nisbet,  a  daughter  of 
Matthew  and  Agnes  Nisbet,  who  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship, and  who  were  natives  of  Scotland  and 
New  York,  respectively-  By  this  union  three 
children  have  been  born.  Nellie  V.  is  now 
the  wife  of  Harvey  Bullis,  a  farmer  of  Paw 
Paw  township.  Christain  L.  is  a  student 
in  W'heaton  College.      One  died  in  infancy. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Weddell 
moved  to  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  but 
which  at  that  time  comprised  but  eighty 
acres,  on  which  was  a  smali  frame  house. 
In  this  house  he  resided  for  two  years,  while 
making  further  improvements  upon  the 
place.  He  then  built  a  more  substantial 
residence,  and  from  time  to  time  added  to 
the  area  of  his  farm  until  he  has  now  seven 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  which  in  reality 
comprises  four  farms,  with  four  sets  of 
buildings.  His  farms  are  well  drained  with 
many  miles  of  tiling.  Orchard,  forest  and 
ornamental  trees  abound,  and  he  has  not 
only  one  of  the  best  but  one  of  the  neatest 
farms  in  De  Kalb  county.  In  addition  to 
general  farming,  for  about  sixteen  years  he 
has  been  engaged  in  breeding  and  dealing 
in  Durham  cattle  and  Norman  horses.  He 
also  buys  and  feeds  about  three  carloads  of 
cattle  and  three  carloads  of  hogs  annually, 
which  he  ships  to  Chicago  markets. 

The  first  presidential  ballot  cast  by  Mr. 
Weddell  was  in  1876  for  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes.  From  that  time  to  the  present  he 
has  been    an    uncompromising   Republican, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


407 


and  wliile  he  would  never  accept  office,  he 
has  assisted  others  and  contributed  of  his 
time  and  means  for  the  success  of  the  party. 
He  and  his  wife  are  inemliers  of  the  I'iollo 
Congregational  church,  in  the  work  of  which 
both  are  greatly  interested,  Mr.  Weddell 
being  a  member  of  the  official  board.  For 
four  years  Mrs.  Weddell  has  been  an  invalid 
and  not  able  to  walk,  notwithstanding,  she 
is  always  cheerful  and  in  good  spirits. 

In  connection  with  Robert  Hampton, 
Mr.  Weddell  was  instrumental  m  securing 
the  present  location  of  the  village  of  Rollo. 
By  their  united  efforts  it  was  secured  for  its 
present  location,  after  another  had  been 
already  decided  upon  some  two  miles  fur- 
ther south.  It  took  very  prompt  and  active 
work  by  Mr.  \\'eddell  and  others  to  have 
the  change  made.  But  once  determined 
upon,  he  was  not  the  man  to  give  up  the 
struggle,  but  worked  earnestly  and  faithfulh' 
with  satisfactory  results  to  himself  and 
associates.  A  man  of  excellent  business 
and  executive  ability,  his  sound  judgment, 
unflagging  enterprise  and  capable  manage- 
ment have  brought  to  him  a  well  merited 
success.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
that  class  of  citizens  who  lead  quiet,  indus- 
trious, honest  and  useful  li\es,  and  who 
constitute  the  best  portion  of  a  community. 
In  manner  he  is  pleasant  and  cordial,  which, 
combined  with  his  sterling  worth,  makes 
him  one  of  the  popular  citizens  of  the 
count)'. 

JAMES  MAITLAND  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  De  Kalb  county,  his 
farm  being  located  in  section  35,  Sycamore 
township.  He  was  born  in  Darlington, 
Northumberland  county,  Canada,  February 
28,  1849.  His  father,  James  Maitland,  Sr., 
was  a  Highlander,  born  in  .\rgyleshire,  Scot- 


land, July  20,  18 1 2,  and  who  ernigrated  to 
Canada  in  1835,  locating  near  Darlington. 
He  was  a  carpenter  and  ship  builder  by 
trade,  and  about  1S54  moved  to  Colburn, 
Canada,  where  he  was  emploj'ed  at  his 
trade  at  Cole's  wharf  some  eight  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Darlington  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1868,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Malta,  Illinois,  where  he  again 
worked  at  his  trade.  He  first  married  Mary 
Brown,  of  Darlington,  and  in  1841  married 
Miss  Sarah  Ren  wick,  who  was  the  mother 
of  our  subject.  She  was  born  in  Dumfries- 
shire, Scotland,  .\pril  16,  1822,  and  who 
came  to  America  in  1835,  her  parents  set- 
tling near  Darlington,  Canada.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Walter  and  Mary  (Guthrie) 
Renwick,  also  natives  of  Scotland.  Her 
death  occurred  in  Sycamore,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1894.  The  paternal  grandfa- 
ther, William  Maitland,  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  where  his  death  occurred  in  18 14. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  about 
five  years  old  when  the  famil}'  moved  to 
Colburn,  and  he  there  attended  school  until 
about  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  they 
removed  five  miles  northeast  of  Colburn, 
where  he  resided  until  coming  to  Illinois  in 
1868.  He  arrived  at  Malta,  November  14, 
and  for  one  year  worked  on  a  farm.  He 
was  then  employed  on  various  farms  in  the 
neighborhood  for  three  years,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  which  time  he  went  to  Sycamore  and 
worked  with  a  hay  press  and  at  his  trade  for 
a  time,  and  for  three  seasons  engaged  in 
running  a  threshing  macliine.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  S\camore,  October  14,  1874,  to  Miss 
.\da  L.  Stark,  a  native  of  De  Kalb  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  Marshall  Stark,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
By  this  union  two  children  have  been  born: 
Howard  Henry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 


4o8 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


years  and  eight  months,  and  Everitt  P. 
They  have  adopted  Herbert  Harmon  Stark, 
one  of  the  sons  of  Harmon  M.  Stark,  the 
eldest  brother  of  Mrs.  Maitland. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Maitland 
began  farming  one  mile  north  of  S\camore 
on  a  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  and  there  re- 
sided one  year.  Removing  to  Kingston  he 
there  engaged  in  farming  two  j'ears,  and 
then  returned  to  his  father-in-law's  farm, 
which  he  operated  eight  years.  He  then 
rented  his  present  farm  for  two  years,  hav- 
ing an  option  for  its  purchase.  He  bought 
it  in  1892,  the  farm  comprising  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres,  everj-  foot  of  it  tillable 
land.  It  is  well  improved  and  has  between 
five  and  six  miles  of  tiling.  In  addition  to 
general  farming  Mr.  Maitland  engages  in 
dairying  to  some  extent,  usually  keeping 
from  eighteen  to  twenty  cows.  His  barn  is 
one  of  the  most  substantial  in  the  county, 
being  what  is  known  as  a  truss  barn,  and  is 
thirty-six  by  sixty-four  feet.  A  well  one 
hundred  and  four  feet  deep  gives  an  un- 
failing supply  of  pure  water.  He  has  two 
orchards  on  the  place,  covering  about  three 
acres  of  land,  on  which  he  raises  apples, 
peaches,  plums,  pears,  cherries  and  small 
fruit  in  abundance. 

In  politics  Mr.  Maitland  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  as  road  commissioner  and 
school  director  for  some  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  of  the  subordinate  lodge,  en- 
campment, and  canton  of  Patriarchs  Mili- 
tant. He  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the 
subordinate  lodge  and  encampment,  serv- 
ing as  noble  grand  and  chief  patriarch.  He 
has  also  been  grand  representative  for  seven 
years.  As  a  citizen  he  is  enterprising  and 
progressive,  and  his  farm  shows  the  work  of 
a  master  hand. 


AUSTIN  V.  PIERCE,  a  farmer  resid- 
ing on  section  13,  Kingston  township, 
is  a  native  of  Du  Page  county,  Illinois,  born 
January  12,  1S59,  and  is  the  son  of  James 
T.  and  Sarah  L.  (Blank)  Pierce,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  New  York  state,  who 
removed  to  Du  Page  countj',  Illinois,  in 
1835.  They  were  pioneers  of  that  county 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  after  his 
coming  to  the  county  he  was  the  owner  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  which 
he  purchased  of  the  govern tnent  and  which 
he  improved  to  a  high  degree.  He  was 
honored  with  many  of  the  offices  of  the 
township,  offices  which  he  held  with  profit, 
not  to  himself,  but  to  the  township.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Douglas  Democrat.  While 
coming  west  with  no  financial  means,  when 
life's*  journey  was  ended  he  had  plenty 
to  leave  behini  him.  He  died  in  1896  at 
the  age  of  siventy-four  years;  his  wife  sur- 
vives him  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Their 
family  consisted  of  eight  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  our  subject  being  the  first 
born. 

Austin  \'.  Pierce  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Du  Page  county  and  has  always 
followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer.  He  re- 
sided at  home  until  he  reached  his  twenty- 
seventh  year,  at  which  time  he  rented  a 
farm  and  began  life  for  himself.  He  con- 
tinued to  rent  farms  for  a  few  years,  but  in 
1883  came  to  DeKalb  county  and  purchased 
his  present  farm,  which  contains  two  hun- 
dred acres  and  is  well  located  on  a  com- 
manding eminence  with  good  drainage,  and, 
under  the  practical  management  of  Mr. 
Pierce,  it  is  growing  more  productive  and 
becoming  more  beautiful. 

On  the  22d  of  March,  1875,  Mr.  Pierce 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Delia 
Coon,    a    native  of    Steuben  count}',    New 


LIBRARY 

Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


A.   V,   PIERCE, 


MRS.  A.   V.   PIERCE. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


413 


York,  born  October  13.  1856,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Jane  Coon,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased.  Five  children 
were  born  of  this  union:  Clayton  in  1877, 
Garfield  in  188 1,  Etha  in  1883,  Charles  in 
1885  and  Mabel  in  iSgo. 

Since  residing  upon  his  present  place 
Mr.  Pierce  has  built  a  beautiful  house  with 
all  the  modern  improvements  of  the  da)'. 
His  grounds  are  iieatl}'  kept,  indicating  the 
refinement  and  taste  of  its  owner  and  of  the 
family.  For  some  years  he  has  given  his 
attention  almost  exclusively  to  dairy  farm- 
ing. For  his  choice  herd  of  Durham  and 
Holstein  cattle  he  has  erected  a  commodi- 
ous barn,  which  is  well  ventilated  and  con- 
veniently constructed.  His  house  and  barns 
were  erected  in  1893  and  1895.  ^^^'-  Pierce 
is  a  practical  man  of  business  and  keeps 
abreast  of  the  times.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
.America  and  Knights  of  the  Globe.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Republican  and  always  takes 
an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party. 


RALPH  X.  WILKINSON,  the  owner  of 
a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  in  section  2S,  Maytield  township,  is  a 
native  of  De  Kalb  county,  born  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides, August  28,  1858.  His 
father,  Robert  Wilkinson,  was  a  native  of 
Plngland,  born  in  Stockton  in  1829.  John 
Wilkinson,  the  paternal  grandfather,  was 
also  a  native  of  England  and  removed  to 
Canada  about  1831.  He  resided  there  a 
number  of  years  and  about  1848  came  to 
De  Kalb  county  and  located  in  Mayfield  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  about  two 
hundred   acres,  which  comprised   a   part  of 

the    place     now     owned    by     our    subject. 
20 


Robert  Wilkinson,  the  father,  assisted  in 
developing  the  old  homestead,  and  later,  in 
Mayfield  township,  married  Julia  E.  Mace, 
a  native  of  England  and  a  daughter  of 
William  Mace, also  a  native  of  that  country, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  lo- 
cating in  South  Grove  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  .\fter  his  marriage,  Robert  Wil- 
kinson located  on  a  farm  where  his  son  now 
resides,  and  at  once  commenced  its  im- 
provement. He  had  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  acres,  and  became  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  in  Mayfield 
township.  In  1875  he  rented  the  farm, 
made  a  trip  tcj  Europe  for  his  health,  re- 
turned and  bought  a  linnber  yard  in  Syca- 
more and  carried  on  the  business  a  few 
months  until  liis  death,  December  7,  1875. 
His  wife  survived  him  a  uumiier  of  years 
and  met  her  death  by  accident  on  the 
streets  of  Sycamore,  September  21,  1897, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  mature  \-ears  and  all  married 
but  one.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
farm  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  the  Sycamore  High  School. 
.After  his  father's  death  he  remained  on  the 
farm  one  year,  then  went  to  Sycamore  and 
for  two  years  attended  school  in  that  city, 
then  returned  and  took  charge  of  the  farm 
work.  Later  he  purchased  the  interest  of 
other  heirs  in  the  homestead  and  became 
sole  proprietor  of  the  fa:m,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  general  farming,  feeding 
and  dealing  in  stock,  shipping  annually 
some  two  or  three  cars  from  his  farm.  He 
is  also  engaged  to  a  hmited  extent  in  dairy- 
ing. Since  taking  possession  of  the  farm, 
he  has  made  many  improvements,  which 
show  the  practical  character  of  the  man. 


414 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Mr.  Wilkinson  was  married  at  Maple 
Park,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  November  13, 
1879,  to  Miss  Hattie  Henneghan,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Manley  and  Elizabeth  Henneghan, 
early  settlers  of  De  Kalb  county,  both  now- 
deceased.  Mrs.  Wilkinson  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Sycamore.  By  this  union  their 
is  one  son,  David  S.,  now  a  student  in  the 
Aurora  Business  College.  Politically,  Mr. 
Wilkinson  is  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat,  his 
first  presidential  ballot  being  cast  in  18S0 
for  General  Winheld  S.  Hancock.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  local  politics  and 
local  campaigns,  serving  as  a  delegate  to 
various  county  and  congressional  conven- 
tions. He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
in  1893  and  re-elected  in  1897,  and  has 
transacted  the  business  of  that  important 
office  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner.  For 
eighteen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  having  always  manifested 
an  interest  in  the  public  school  system  and 
in  securing  good  schools  for  his  district. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Globe,  being  a  charter  member  of 
the  order  in  Sycamore,  and  has  served 
through  all  the  chairs.  A  lifelong  resident 
of  the  county  and  township,  he  has  labored 
earnestly  and  faithfully  not  only  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  own  private  affairs,  but  for 
the  public  good. 


GEORGE  \\-.  WELCH  is  a  farmer  re- 
siding on  section  27,  Malta  township, 
and  is  one  of  De  Kalb  county's  promising 
young  farmers.  He  was  born  in  Malta 
township  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
in  1873,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary 
(Watson)  Welch,  both  natives  of  Ireland, 
who  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1854.  On 
their  arrival   in  America  they  came  directly 


to  De  Kalb  county,  which  has  since  contin- 
ued to  be  their  home.  They  are  people  of 
respectability  and  have  by  hard  labor  and 
economy  secured  for  themselves  sufficient 
means  for  their  coming  old  age.  [ames 
Welch  is  the  owner  of  a  neat  citj'  property 
in  De  Ivalb,  where  he  and  his  wife  reside, 
and  in  addition  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  upon 
which  our  subject  resides  and  which  will 
eventuall}'  fall  to  him. 

George  W.  Welch  grew  to  manhood 
upon  the  old  homestead  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Malta,  where  he 
showed  great  proficiency  in  the  various 
branches  taught  therein.  Prexious  and  sub- 
secjuent  to  his  school  days  he  engaged  ui 
agricultural  ptu'suits,  and  has  always  made 
his  home  upon  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  makes  no  specialty  of  any  par- 
ticular line  of  farming,  but  succeeds  in  rais- 
ing a  general  crop  in  abundance.  On  Sep- 
tember II,  1895,  he  married  Miss  Lyda 
Delbridge,  who  was  born  in  Malta,  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  in  1874,  and  the  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Ellen  Delbridge,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  England  and  are  num- 
bered among  the  substantial  people  of  Malta. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welch  one  child  has  been 
born,  Earl  D.,  March  30,  1897.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  \\'elch  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  in  which  they  take  spe- 
cial interest.  Fraternally  he  is  a  worthy 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


JOHN  N.  HILL,  who  resides  on  section 
25,  Paw  Paw  township,  owns  and  cul- 
tivates a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  valuable 
and  well  improved  land,  three  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  village  of  Leland.  He  was 
born  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  April  9, 
1857,  and  is  the  son  of  N.  J.  Hill,  a  native 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


415 


of  Norway,  whose  sketch  may  be  found  in 
this  work.  With  his  parents  he  resided 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  durinjc  which 
time  he  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  farm,  and  attended  the  district  school. 
When  he  attained  his  majority  he  com- 
menced life  for  himself  b\'  rentinj,'  the  farm 
of  eighty  acres  which  he  now  owns-,  and 
boarding  with  his  parents  while  engaged  in 
its  cultivation. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1884,  Mr.  Hill 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna 
Watne.  a  native  of  Norway,  and  a  daughter 
of  Tobias  Watne,  also  a  native  of  that  coun- 
try. By  this  union  seven  children  have 
been  born — Nora,  Jessie,  Amos,  Theodore, 
Albert,  Mamy  and  Esther,  all  of  whom  yet 
remain  at  home,  and  five  of  the  number  at- 
tending the  home  school. 

Mr.  Hill  purchased  his  present  farm  in 
1886,  and  has  here  since  continued  to  reside, 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  has  been 
fairly  successful  in  all  that  he  has  done,  and 
feels  that  he  has  no  reason  to  complain. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  body  his  wife  is  also  a  member.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never 
cared  for  office,  preferring  to  devote  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  business  interests 
and  to  his  family.  He  is  well  known  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  county  as  a  man 
whose  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond. 


SAMUEL  STEPHENS,  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  county, 
who  lived  to  see  the  great  changes  that 
were  made  in  the  development  of  the  coun- 
try'. He  was  born  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  9.  1809,  and  was  the  son 
of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Stephens.  The 
former  died  in  1834  and  the  latter  in  1839. 


When  our  subject  was  quite  young  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Ohio,  and  later  still  farther 
west  to  Indiana.  His  bo3'hood  and  youth 
were  spent  in  the  three  states  and,  as  he 
was  always  on  the  frontier,  his  educational 
advantages  were  very  limited.  In  1S37  he 
came  to  where  Genoa  now  stands  and  took 
up  a  tract  of  land  and  there  resided  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  August  14, 
1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Mr.  Stephens  was  twice  married,  his 
first  union  being  with  Rebecca  Patterson, 
who  died  October  25,  1851,  leaving  one  son, 
Joseph  B.  Stephens,  a  prominent  attorney 
of  Sycamore.  His  second  union  was  with 
Miss  Philena  Crocker,  December  14,  1852, 
and  by  that  union  two  children  were  born, 
but  both  are  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Stephens 
was  born  in  Bethany,  Genesee  county.  New 
York,  January  i,  1830,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Allen  Crocker,  of  whom  further  men- 
tion is  made  in  the  sketch  of  her  brother, 
Rev.  A.  A.  Crocker.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  she  came  to  Illinois  and  began 
teaching  in  a  barn  for  lack  of  a  schoolhouse. 
She  became  homesick  in  this  new  country 
and  returned  to  New  York  on  a  visit,  and 
after  coming  back  to  Illinois  was  thoroughly 
contented.  On  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Stephens  she  came  to  Genoa  and  has  here 
since  continued  to  reside.  She  is  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Advent  Christian  church  and 
is  well  posted  in  the  scriptures. 

Mr.  Stephens  was  an  enterprising  man, 
liberal  and  broad-minded,  alwavs  willing  to 
assist  others.  He  made  two  additions  to 
the  town  and  gave  liberally  to  every  public 
enterprise.  When  the  railroad  was  being 
built  through  the  place  he  gave  of  his  means 
and  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  depot. 
He  built  the  band  stand  in  the  park  and 
gave  the  use  of  the  grove  for  park  purposes. 


4i6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


On  the  formation  of  the  party  he  became  a 
Republican  and  with  that  party  affihated 
for  many  years,  but  later  in  life  was  a  strong 
and  active  Prohibitionist.  For  many  years 
he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  held 
other  minor  ofificial  positions.  He  was  a 
member  of  .\dvent  Christian  church  and  a 
strong  believer  in  the  principles  of  that 
denomination. 


CHARLES  UA\'IE  is  a  farmer  residing 
on  section  8,  Sycamore  township.  He 
was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  June  8, 
1855,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Maria 
(Yoe)  Davie,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Cornwall,  where  they  yet  reside.  The 
father  is  farming  a  leasehold  which  contains 
about  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres,  and  is 
devoted  to  stock  and  grain  and  dairy  prod- 
ucts. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  of  the  Order  of  For- 
resters. His  wife  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  Yoe.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents were  James  and  Jane  Davie,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  James  and 
Maria  Davie  are  the  parents  of  live  chil- 
dren, all  sons.  William  is  a  blacksmith, 
residing  in  New  Zealand.  Charles  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  John  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  town  of  St.  Anstell,  Corn- 
wall, England.  Arthur  and  Sidney  Her- 
bert yet  reside  with  their  parents. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
his  native  town  and  attended  private  schools 
until  about  the  time  of  his  emigration  to 
America,  in  the  meantime,  however,  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  blacksmith  shop. 
Early  in  June,  1882,  he  left  his  home  in 
company  with  a  friend,  who  was  then  on  a 
visit  to  his  native  land,  and  sailing  from 
Liverpool,    he     landed     at     Quebec,     from 


which  place  he  came  directly  west  to  Chi- 
cago and  (roin  there  to  De  Kalb.  For 
thirteen  years  he  worked  on  the  farm  of 
Mr.  Triscott,  in  Sycamore  township,  during 
which  time,  however,  he  twice  visited  his 
native  land,  spending  four  months  the  first 
visit  and  six  months  in  his  last  visit. 

Mr.  Davie  was  united  in  marriage 
October  23,  1895,  ^^'ith  Miss  Eunice  Divine, 
since  which  time  he  has  resided  on  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-five  acres, 
in  section  8,  Sycamore  township,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  general  farming.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat,  with  which  party  he  has 
acted  since  becoming  a  naturalized  citizen. 
He  is  now  ser\ing  as  school  director  of  his 
district.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pvthias. 


GEORGE  L.  TAYLOR  is  now  living  a 
retired  life  at  Hinckle\-,  Illinois,  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  years  of  former  toil.  He 
is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Kane  county, 
December  17,  1845,  ^^^  's  the  son  of  Percy 
Taylor,  a  native  of  V^ermont,  born  in  1801. 
and  who  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
state,  going  from  thence  to  New  York  when 
a  joung  man,  where,  in  St.  Lawrence  coun- 
ty, he  married  Miss  Rebecca  Lawrence.  In 
1836  he  came  west  to  Illinois  and  located 
in  the  township  of  Big  Rock,  Kane  county, 
where  he  made  claim  to  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres,  which  he  cleared  and  on  which 
he  lived  for  forty  years.  In  [876  he  moved 
to  Aurora  and  there  spent  the  last  years  of 
his  life,  dying  in  1884  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  His  wife  passed  away  in  May, 
1885.  Of  their  family  of  two  sons  and  five 
daughters,  our  subject  and  three  daughters 
are  the  only  ones  living.  Charles  grew  to 
manhood,    married,    located    on    a   farm   in 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


41; 


Blackberry  township,  Kane  county.  Illinois, 
where  his  death  occurred.  Mrs.  Sarah  Burt 
is  a  widow  residing  in  De  Kalb,  Illinois. 
Mrs.  Harriet  Seavey  is  also  a  widow  and 
now  resides  in  Sugar  Grove  township,  Kane 
county.  Mrs.  E.  C.  W'hilden  resides  in 
Big  Rock  township.  Kane  county,  her  hus- 
band being  one  of  the  supervisors  of  that 
county. 

George  Taylor,  our  subject,  grew  to  ma- 
ture years  on  his  father's  farm  in  Big  Rock 
township,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  as 
soon  as  able  he  was  required  to  do  his  share 
of  farm  work.  His  educational  advantages 
were  limited  to  the  common  school,  yet, 
notwithstanding,  he  is  to-day  a  well  in- 
formed man.  He  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  until  twenty-three  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Sugar 
Grove  township,  Kane  county,  December  3, 
1868.  with  Miss  Mary  Thompson,  a  native 
of  Sugar  Grove  township,  where  she  was 
reared  and  educated,  and  a  daughter  of 
Edward  Thompson,  a  pioneer  of  Kane 
county,  but  a  native  of  New  York,  who  on 
coming  west  first  located  in  Ottawa,  Illi- 
nois, and  later  moved  to  Sugar  Grove, 
Kane  county. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Taylor  located  on 
a  farm,  which  he  leased  for  a  few  years. 
and  in  1876  purchased  the  old  home  farm 
which  he  operated  for  four  3'ears.  then  sold 
and  purchased  a  farm  near  Waterman,  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in  1880,  a  place  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  To  that 
farm  he  moved  and  there  resided  for  two 
year.s.  While  living  there  his  wife  passed 
away,  dying  May  28,  1881.  He  soon  after- 
ward sold  the  farm  and  on  the  13th  of  De- 
cember, 1883,  in  Kaneville,  Illinois,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Jennie  Spencer, 
widow  of  James   Spencer,  and   a  sister  of 


his  first  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  New  York, 
who  came  to  Illinois  when  a  child  with  her 
parents.  B\'  her  first  husband  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor has  three  children:  Elmer,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  engaged  in  farming  in  Kaneville 
township.  Kane  county;  Millie,  wife  of  C. 
O.  Dean,  of  Hinckley:  and  Hattie,  young 
lady  at  home. 

For  about  one  year  after  their  marriage, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  resided  at  Kaneville, 
and  in  1885  moved  to  Hinckley,  where  he 
purchased  a  residence  lot,  built  a  neat  and 
substantial  residence,  into  which  they  moved 
and  where  they  have  since  continued  to  re- 
side. Politically  Mr.  Taylor  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  and  gives  his  earnest 
support  to  its  men  and  measures.  Since  mov- 
ing to  Hinckley  he  has  served  as  assessor  of 
the  township,  and  also  on  the  village  board, 
being  two  years  a  trustee,  and  one  year 
president  of  the  board.  His  entire  life  has 
been  spent  in  Kane  and  De  Kalb  counties, 
and  his  acquaintance  is  extensive  in  both 
counties,  and  wherever  known  he  has  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all.  In  his  life  he 
endeavors  to  live  in  accordance  with  the 
golden  rule,  doing  as  he  would  be  done  by. 


ELEAZER  DIVINE,  deceased,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Grahamville,  Sullivan 
county.  New  York,  March  i,  1820.  His  fa- 
ther, David  Divine,  was  also  born  in  Sulli- 
van countj',  January  6,  1800.  He  married 
Harriet  Lowe,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
seven  years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius and  Hannah  (Hornbeak)  Lowe,  who 
both  lived  to  a  green  old  age.  David  Divine 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering  to  a 
great  extent  in  his  native  county.  He  died 
about  1866.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Eleazer  Divine,  maVried  Lvdia  Betelbrunt, 


4i8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  for  many  years  was  an  inn  keeper  in 
Sullivan  county.  His  death  occurred  when 
about  seventy-five  j'ears  old. 

Eleazer  Divine  was  reared  in  his  native 
county  and  attended  the  district  schools  un- 
til the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  then  bought 
a  leasehold  of  one  hundred  acres,  and  after- 
ward bought  the  feesimple  to  the  land,  and 
there  engaged  in  farming  for  twelve  years. 
In  lune,  1852,  he  came  west  and  purchased 
three  hundred  acres  at  Charter  Grove,  De 
Kalb  county,  then  returned  to  his  eastern 
home,  sold  out,  and  moved  with  his  family 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year.  For  the  first  few  years  after  his  ar- 
rival in  De  Kalb  county  he  raised  grain  and 
stock,  and  was  quite  successful  in  his  farm- 
ing operations.  As  time  passed  he  purchased 
more  land,  until  he  had  six  hundred  acres, 
the  greater  part  of  which  was  under  cultiva- 
tion. During  the  latter  years  of  his  life, 
he  traded  in  cattle  and  other  live  stock,  buy- 
ing and  shipping  to  Chicago  and  other  mark- 
ets. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  When 
he  first  settled  in  De  Kalb  county  there  was 
some  open  country,  but  the  greater  part  was 
partially  improved  land. 

Mr.  Divine  married  Sallie  Ann  Sheely, 
who  was  born  in  Grahamville,  Sullivan 
count)'.  New  York,  September  26,  1822, 
and  a  daughter  of  Elisha  Sheely,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Sullivan  countj',  who  died  in  the 
early  si.xties,  when  eighty-four  3-ears  old. 
By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and  cleared 
much  timber  land  for  agricultural  purposes. 
He  was  the  son  of  Conrad  and  Elizabeth 
(Hornbeak)  Sheely,  the  latter  dying  in  the 
twenties,  a  ver}'  old  lady.  Conrad  Sheely 
settled  in  the  wilderness,  pealed  tan  bark 
for  the  market,  and  cut  and  marketed  lum- 
ber, but  did  very  little  in  agriculture.  He 
died  when  about  eighty  years  of  age.      Elisha 


Sheely  married  Dorothy  Grant,  of  Scotch 
descent,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
\ears,  two  weeks  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band. 

To  Eleazer  Divine  and  wife  eight  chil- 
dren were  born,  seven  of  whom  are  yet  liv- 
ing. Nancy  is  the  wife  of  Ira  Evans,  of 
Sycamore  township.  Mary  married  Richard 
Triscott,  who  is  now  deceased.  David  lives 
in  Sycamore  township.  Frank  resides  at 
Charter  Grove,  Illinois.  Samuel  died  in  in- 
fancy. Eunice  married  Charles  Davie,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  work. 
James  and  John  are  twins,  living  at  Charter 
Grove,  on  the  old  home  place. 


WILLIAM  H.  MASON,  who  is  oper- 
ating a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred' and 
fifty-five  acres  in  South  Grove  township,  is 
a  native  of  the  Prairie  state,  born  in  Syca- 
more, February  11,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of 
Henry  B.  and  Lucy  (Orput)  Mason,  the 
latter  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Anna  and 
James  L.  are  deceased.  The  living  are 
Ida,  Rosa  L.  and  William  H. 

In  his  native  city  our  subject  spent  his 
boyhood  and  when  ten  years  old,  accompa- 
nied by  his  parents,  he  removed  to  Atchi- 
son, Kansas.  From  there  his  father  later 
went  to  Wyoming  to  prospect  and  was 
never  again  heard  from.  In  1877  he  accom- 
panied his  mother  on  her  return  to  Illinois, 
and  with  her  located  in  Rockford,  where  he 
soon  afterwards  commenced  work  on  a  farm 
by  the  month,  an  occupation  at  which  he 
continued  for  some  years.  On  the  7th  of 
October,  1885.  he  married  Mary  E.  Crist- 
man,  a  native  of  South  Grove  township 
and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Cristman,  an  early 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


419 


settler  and  prominent  man  of  the  township. 
By  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
William  C.  and  Bertha.  Bj-  a  former  mar- 
riage Mrs.  Mason  had  two  children,  L.  M. 
and  H.  Berta.  The  latter  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years. 

Henry  Cristman,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Mason,  married  Louisa  C.  Pooler,  by  whom 
he  had  three  children.  Emily  M.  married 
Amos  Willis,  of  Kingston  township.  Ida 
married  Fred  S.  Goodrich,  of  South  Grove 
township.  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject. Henry  Cristman  was  born  February 
I,  1830,  in  Herkimer  county.  New  York, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  common  school.  His 
parents  were  of  German  extraction  and  have 
long  since  been  deceased.  He  was  married 
December  29,  1853,  to  Louisa  Pooler,  born 
Februarj'  6,  1837,  on  the  German  Flats,  in 
Herkimer  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Pooler,  a  prominent  citizen  in  that  count}-, 
who  later  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
and  located  in  Cortland  township,  where  he 
purchased  three  hundred  acres  of  land. 
About  one  year  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Cristman  came  to  De  Kalb  county  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres 
of  improved  land.  From  time  to  time  he 
added  to  his  possessions,  until  he  had  six 
hundred  acres,  all  of  which  was  under  culti- 
vation and  devoted  to  general  farming  and 
stock  raising.  For  some  years,  however, 
Mr.  Cristman  engaged  in  buying  and  ship- 
ping horses  to  the  eastern  markets  and  had 
a  wide  reputation  as  a  judge  of  horses  and 
stock  generally.  His  death  occurred  Jan- 
uary 4,  1883,  in  the  prime  of  his  life  and 
usefulness.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican 
and  had  held  various  responsible  local  posi- 
tions. He  was  a  popular  man  and  his  death 
was  sincerely  mourned   by  a   large  circle  of 


friends.      Mrs.    Cristman  died  October   26, 
1896,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican, 
with  which  party  he  has  been  a  life-long 
member.  Religiously  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


EZRA  ABEL,  who  resides  on  section  29, 
Shabbona  township,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  De  Kalb  county  since  November, 
1852.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  West- 
haven,  Rutland  county,  \'ermont,  April  13, 
1830,  and  is  the  son  of  Ezra  Abel.  Sr.,  who 
was  born  m  Swanton,  \'ermont,  and  a 
grandson  of  Asa  Abel,  of  German  parentage, 
and  whose  parents  were  pioneers  of  Ver- 
mont. Ezra  Abel,  Sr. ,  grew  to  manhood  in 
\'ermont,  and  there  married  Susan  Talmage, 
a  native  of  that  state,  and  later  moved 
across  Lake  Champlain  into  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death, 
when  only  twenty-six  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Abel  later  married  Lyman  Sherwood,  and 
the  family  all  came  to  Illinois  in  1852. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  Washington  county,  New 
York,  and  in  the  public  schools  received  a 
fair  education.  He  there  learned  the  car- 
penter's and  joiner's  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  until  his  removal  to  Illinois  and  for 
the  first  three  years  after  his  arrival  here. 
In  1853  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  with  a  land  warrant,  and  after 
the  erection  of  a  small  house  on  the  place, 
his  step-father  and  his  mother  removed 
there,  and  he  at  once  began  to  improve  the 
place.  He  later  built  a  large  and  substan- 
tial residence  and  a  large  barn,  and  as  the 
years  went  by  he  set  out  an  orchard,  planted 
shade  trees  and  transformed  the  place  from 


420 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


its  wild  state  intoone  of  the  most  productive 
farms  in  the  count}'. 

Mr.  Abel  has  been  twice  married,  first  in 
t^ebruary,  1854,  to  Miss  Minerva  Brown,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  1868,  leaving 
two  children.  Ettie  is  now  the  wife  of 
Charles  G.  Houg;htby,  a  farmer  who  owns 
and  operates  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  Mr. 
.\bel.  Harriet  E.  is  the  wife  of  W.  M. 
Ellsworth,  who  is  engaged  in  operating  the 
Abel  farm.  .\Ir.  Abel  later  married  Clara 
Palm,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  when  but  eight  or  nine  years 
of  age.  They  were  married  in  1S71,  and 
si.\  years  later  Mrs.  .\bel  was  called  to  her 
reward,  and,  dying,  left  one  daughter,  Effie 
A.,  who  yet  resides  at  home. 

The  first  presidential  ballot  of  our  sub- 
ject was  cast  in  1856  for  John  C.  Fremont, 
and  he  has  never  failed  to  vote  the  party 
ticket  from  that  time  to  the  present. 
For  two  terms  he  served  as  collector  of  his 
township,  and  has  also  served  as  highway 
commissioner.  His  influence  has  always 
been  used  in  securing  good  schools,  and  for 
twenty  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  While  not  a  member  of  any 
church,  he  is  an  attendant  of  the  West  Shab- 
bona  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
gives  of  his  means  to  its  support.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  Master  Mason,  a  member  of 
Shabbona  Lodge.  In  the  forty-six  years 
that  he  has  resided  in  De  Kalb  county,  he 
has  made  many  friends  who  esteem  him  for 
his  genuine  worth. 


HIRAM  F.  BRANCH  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  Kingston  township,  one 
thoroughly  versed  in  all  the  branches  of  his 
vocation.  His  surroundings  testify  to  the 
fact  that  he  is  abreast  with  the  times.      His 


well  arranged  and  fertile  faim,  with  its  fine 
herd  of  Jersey  cattle,  is  located  on  section 
10,  Kingston  township,  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  village  of  Kingston,  where  his 
birth  occurred,  July  27,  1843.  His  parents 
were  Charles  W.  and  Esther  (Halt)  Branch, 
the  former  a  native  of  \'ermont,  born  in 
181 2,  and  the  latter  of  Delaware  county. 
New  York,  horn  in  181 5.  Their  marriage 
occurred  in  De  Kalb  county  in  1838. 

Charles  W.  Branch  was  a  blacksmith  bj' 
trade  and  a  first-class  mechanic  in  his  daj'. 
He  remo\'ed  from  \'ermnnt  to  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York,  where  he  remained  for 
sometime,  and  in  1835  removed  to  Kings- 
ton township,  De  Kalb  county,  and  located 
on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his 
son,  our  subject.  The  same  year  in  which 
he  came  to  the  county  he  repaired  to  War- 
renville,  where  he  made  his  tools  and  then 
returned  to  his  farm,  or  what  was  soon  to 
be  a  farm.  Erecting  a  shop  he  there  ham- 
mered away  the  rest  of  his  life.  By  hard 
work  and  close  application  to  business  he 
succeeded  in  building  a  home,  a  name  and 
an  influence,  which  has  outlived  himself,  and 
will  outlive  other  generations.  He  was  not 
only  a  good  mechanic,  but  a  good  and  faith- 
ful citizen.  He  was  honored  by  being  ap- 
pointed postmaster  and  serving  as  such  for 
fifteen  years.  For  several  terms  he  served 
as  supervisor  of  his  township  and  was  justice 
of  the  peace  under  si.x  different  governors, 
three  of  his  commissions  being  from  one 
governor.  He  was  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  every  duty  and  conscientious  in  all  his 
dealmg  with  his  fellow  men.  A  man  of 
few  words,  but  many  deeds,  he  was  always 
willing  to  do  what  he  could  for  the  advance- 
ment of  his  adopted  county.  He  was  a 
strict  anti-slavery  man  and  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican.     His   farm    consisted  of  one  hundred 


tlBRARV 

OF  THE 

mVERSrfY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HIRAM    F.   BRANCH. 


MRS    HIRAM   F.   BRANCH. 


< 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


425 


and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he  made  many 
improvements.  Previous  to  his  death  he 
disposed  of  eighty  acres  of  the  original  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  bought  an- 
other eighty  to  make  his  farm  more  com- 
plete and  to  his  liking.  He  died  Septem- 
ber II,  1879.  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years,  eight  months  and  two  days.  His 
wife  died  November  iS,  1854,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-nine  years,  seven  months  and  sixteen 
days.  Their  family  consisted  of  nine  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  five 
yet  living.  Two  of  their  sons  were  in  the 
armj'  in  defense  of  the  Union,  William 
Henrj-  and  Edwin  H.  both  losing  their 
lives  in  the  service,  the  former  dying  by 
disease  in  the  hospital,  and  the  latter  by  the 
bullet  of  the  enemy  in  the  battle  of  Tupello, 
Mississippi. 

Hiram  F.  Branch  is  third  in  order  of 
birth  of  the  children  born  to  his  parents. 
He  was  reared  in  his  native  township  and 
educated  in  the  district  schools.  Farming 
has  been  his  life-long  vocation,  and  that  he 
has  made  a  good  farmer  all  will  testify.  When 
he  reached  his  majority  he  began  to  work 
his  father's  farm  on  the  shares,  and  contin- 
ued to  do  so  for  eleven  years.  After  the 
lapse  of  this  time  he  purchased  the  old 
homestead  and  to  its  area  he  has  added  at 
various  times  until  he  now  owns  two  hun- 
dred and  five  acres  of  first  class  land.  In 
1897  he  built  a  dwelling  house  of  modern 
construction,  beautiful  and  commodious, 
fitted  with  the  improvei)ents  01  the  day. 
His  barns  and  other  outbuildings  have  been 
recent!}'  built  and  are  convenient  and  well 
ventilated.  His  stock  is  well  collected  and 
of  the  best  breed,  and  at  present  he  is  giv- 
ing himself  especially  to  dairy  farming. 

On  the  6th  of  May.  1876,  Mr.  Branch 
was  united   in   marriage  with    Miss  .\iiiv  C, 


Witter,  daughter  of  William  and  Polly  Wit- 
ter, and  to  them  four  children  have  been 
born:  Charles  R.,  February  7,  1877;  Lloyd 
H.,  January  22.  1879;  Louise,  December 
5.  1880;  and  Polly  E,  February  25.  1883. 
Mrs.  Branch  %vas  born  in  Boone  county, 
Illinois.  March  16.  1851.  and  is  a  highly  es- 
teemed lady,  fully  equipped  by  nature  and 
training  to  gracefully  govern  her  beautiful 
home.  Politically  Mr.  Branch  is  a  Repub- 
lican, the  principles  of  which  party  he  has 
advocated  since  attaining  his  majority. 
Like  his  honored  father  before  him,  he 
enjoys  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  his 
neighbors.  He  has  been  honored  and 
trusted  with  the  office  of  supervisor  of  his 
township  for  four  years,  and  has  held  other 
minor  local  offices. 


W  MARSHALL  SEBREE.— The  state 
of  Illinois  owes  its  high  standing 
among  the  sovereign  commonwealths  that 
make  up  the  United  States,  to  the  high 
character  and  dauntless  spirit  of  the  settlers 
who  made  their  homes  within  her  borders 
in  the  early  days.  To  their  inspiration  and 
work  is  due  her  progress  in  agriculture, 
manufacturing  and  the  arts.  They  trans- 
formed the  wilderness  into  fertile  farms,  es- 
tablished churches  and  schools  in  the  savage 
wilds,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  grand 
institutions  of  philanthrophy  and  learning, 
which  are  the  glory  of  the  state  at  the  pres- 
ent day.  Among  these  brave  and  far- 
sighted  pioneers,  the  Sebree  family  of  De 
Kalb  county  deserves  prominent  mention. 

W.  Marshall  Sebree  dates  his  residence 
in  De  Kalb  county  from  1834.  He  was 
born  in  Floyd  county,  Indiana,  February  7. 
1833,  and  is  the  son  of  John   S.  Sebree,  a, 


426 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1808,  and  the 
grandson  of  Robert  Sebree,  a  native  of  \'ir- 
ginia  of  English  descent.  Robert  Sebree 
removed  with  his  family  from  \'irginia  to 
Kentucky,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
that  state.  For  two  years  he  and  his  son, 
John  S.  Sebree,  ran  a  snag  boat  on  the 
Mississippi  river.  The  latter  then  went  to 
Floyd  county,  Indiana,  where  he  located, 
and  there  married  Sarah  Jane  Bateman,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  but  of  German  parent- 
age, her  father,  William  Bateman,  being  a 
native  of  Germany  and  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Indiana. 

After  his  marriage  John  S.  Sebree  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Floyd  county,  Indiana, 
for  two  years,  then  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  locating  in  what  is  now  Squaw 
Grove  township,  and  being  one  of  the  verj' 
first  settlers  of  the  county.  He  took  up  a 
claim  of  about  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  on  which  he  built  a  log  house  sixteen 
by  eighteen  feet,  to  which  an  addition  was 
made  the  following  year.  On  locating  here 
there  were  no  white  settlers  for  miles  around, 
and  Indians  were  quite  common  through  the 
country.  The  first  winter  after  his  arrival, 
he  ran  out  of  supplies,  and  started  with  a 
team  for  Bloomington  for  provisions  to 
carry  them  through  the  remainder  of  the 
winter.  The  roads,  if  such  they  might  be 
called,  were  perfectly  horrible  and  the 
weather  was  fearfully  bad.  He  was  gone 
three  weeks,  during  which  time  his  wife  was 
left  with  two  small  children.  Before  his  re- 
turn, she  ran  out  of  all  kinds  of  provisions, 
and  had  but  a  small  quantitj-  of  corn  which 
she  pounded  into  meal  and  grits  with  an 
iron  wedge,  in  a  hole  in  a  stump.  The  re- 
turn of  her  husband  with  supplies  was 
hailed  with  great  joy. 

Mr.  Sebree  erected  one  of  the  first  build- 


ings  in  the  county,   near    De    Kalb.     For 

years  his  house  was  made  a  place  of  enter- 
tainment by  the  traveling  public.  It  being 
located  on  the  old  state  road,  he  had  many 
travelers  to  entertain  him.  The  land  to 
which  he  made  claim  he  entered  as  soon  as 
it  came  into  market  and  in  due  time  he  had 
a  large  and  valuable  farm,  the  old  log  house 
giving  place  to  a  substantial  brick  residence. 
A  large  barn  was  erected  with  stone  base- 
ment and  for  many  years  he  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  farmers  in 
De  Kalb  county.  On  the  old  farm  he  passed 
his  last  days,  dying  in  April,  1873,  his  wife 
surviving  him  a  number  of  years,  dying  in 
October,  1887.  Of  their  family  of  two  sons 
and  three  daughters  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  first  in  order  of  birth.  Matilda 
grew  to  womanhood,  married,  but  is  now 
deceased.  James  Harrison  grew  to  man- 
hood, married  and  died  in  1872.  Mary 
Alice  also  grew  to  womanhood,  married  and 
is  now  deceased.  Ellen  Augusta  is  the  wife 
of  S.  \'.  Howell,  a  farmer  and  business  man 
of  De  Kalb  county. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  one 
year  old  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
De  Kalb  county,  and  here  his  entire  life  has 
since  been  passed.  He  was  educated  in  the 
pioneer  schools  and  until  after  attaining  his 
majority  assisted  his  father  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  home  farm.  He  was  married  Sep- 
tember 26,  1855,  to  Miss  Rosetta  Donald- 
son, a  native  of  Steubenville,  Jefferson 
county,  Ohio,  born  May  23,  1837,  and  the 
daughter  of  James  and  Jane  (Cone»  Donald- 
son, the  former  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the 
latter  of  New  York  city.  Her  parents  lo- 
cated in  De  Kalb  county  in  1846,  and  in 
less  than  two  years  her  father  died.  Later 
her  mother  moved  to  Elgin.  lUinois.  where 
she  reared  her  two  children,  giving  them   a 


I 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


427 


fair  education,  as  there  was  no  school  near 
at  that  time. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Sebree  located  on  a 
part  of  the  old  home  place,  but  took  charge 
of  the  farm  and  business  and  cared  for  his 
parents  in  their  declining  years,  .\fter  the 
death  of  the  father  he  succeeded  to  the  en- 
tire estate  and  has  since  very  much  improved 
the  farm,  building  a  large  and  substantial 
residence,  good  barns  and  outbuildings  and 
tiling  about  two  miles.  Success  has  crowned 
his  efforts  in  life  and  in  addition  to  the  home 
place  he  has  owned  farms  in  Indiana,  Iowa, 
Dakota  and  Kansas  and  also  owned  another 
farm  in  De  Kalb  county. 

In  addition  to  his  general  farming  inter- 
ests Mr.  Sebree  has  been  quite  successful  in 
his  real-estate  ventures.  He  also  inet  with 
good  success  in  breeding  and  dealing  in  Red 
Polled-.Angus  cattle  and  was  a  breeder  and 
dealer  in  this  stock  for  years.  He  has  also 
engaged  in  raising  fine  horses,  sheep,  Poland 
China  and  Yorkshire  hogs,  and  was  well 
known  throughout  Illinois  and  the  northwest 
as  a  breeder  and  dealer  in  fine  stock.  He 
has  lent  a  helping  hand  to  numerous  enter- 
prises calculated  to  advance  the  interests  of 
his  section  of  the  country. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sebree  five  children 
have  been  born,  one  of  whom  is  deceased. 
The  living  are  Alice,  wife  of  Fernando 
Slater,  a  farmer  of  De  Kalb  county;  Nellie, 
wife  of  W.  A.  Fay,  editor  of  the  De  Kalb 
Review;  Effie,  wife  of  A.  ].  Coster,  a  sub- 
stantial farmer  of  De  Kalb  county;  and  Ray 
M.,  who  owns  and  operates  a  part  of  the 
old  farm.  .\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Sebree  have  also 
four  grandchildren — Roy  and  Elva  Slater, 
Earl  Fay  and  Donald  Coster. 

Politically  Mr.  Sebree  is  thorough!}-  in- 
dependent, casting  his  ballot  for  the  one  he 
considers    the    best    man  regardless   of    his 


politics.  For  some  years  he  served  as  com- 
missioner of  highways,  and  in  his  early 
manhood  was  elected  and  served  as  con- 
stable and  township  collector.  He  has 
been  a  friend  of  education  and  the  public 
schools,  and  served  some  si.\  or  eight  years 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  Years 
ago  he  joined  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Hinck- 
le\',  but  has  since  been  demitted.  For  six- 
ty-four long  \ears  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  county,  and  is  now  the  oldest  liv- 
ing resident  of  the  county.  He  is  one  of 
the  few  li\ing  pioneers  who  have  witnessed 
the  great  changes  that  have  been  made  in 
making  the  vast  wilderness  to  blossom  as 
the  rose,  and  to  make  Illinois  the  most  pro- 
ductive state  in  the  Union  and  third  in 
wealth  and  population.  In  the  great  changes 
that  have  been  made  he  has  taken  no  in- 
considerable part,  and  is  justly  entitled  to 
all  the  honors  that  can  be  conferred  upon 
one  who  has  endured  the  trials  of  pioneer 
life. 


FRED.  T.  ROBINSON,  druggist,  of 
Genoa,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Keysville, 
New  York,  July  19,  1850,  and  is  the  son  of 
Hiram  Robinson,  Sr.,  born  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  New  York,  December  3 1 , 
1S19,  and  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  His  entire  life  was  spent  in  north- 
eastern New  York,  with  the  exception  of  five 
years  in  the  early  childhood  of  our  subject. 
He  married  Aurilla  Cutler,  born  in  Jay. 
New  York,  .-Kpril  22,  1822,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  Cutler,  Jr.,  who  was  a  son  of  John 
Cutler,  Sr. ,  who  married  Catherine  Priest, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Wil- 
liams) Priest.  They  became  the  parents  of 
six  children:  Hiram,  of  PJattsburg,  New 
York;  Fred   T.,  our   subject;    Dr.  E.  \.,   of 


428 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Genoa;  Anna  L  ;  Dr.    John,  of   Plattsburg, 
New  York;  and  Sarah. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  Hiram  Rob- 
inson, Sr. ,  settled  in  northern  New  York  in 
the  last  century  and  was  engaged  in  trading 
with  the  Indians  in  that  state  and  in  Cana- 
da. He  married  Marie  Julia  Subray,  whose 
brother,  Louis  Subray,  owned  one  of  the 
largest  stores  in  Montreal  at  that  time. 
She  was  born  in  Paris,  France,  and  was  a 
well  educated  woman.  The  grandfather 
died  when  his  son  Hiram  was  onl}'  six  j'ears 
of  age,  and  his  wife  three  years  later  at  the 
age  of  thirty-five  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  his  native  state,  and  at- 
tended school  in  or  near  Keysville  until  the 
age  of  fourteen  years.  He  then  spent  one 
year  at  Masson  College,  Terrebonne,  near 
Montreal,  and  in  an  academy  at  Plattsburg, 
New  York.  After  leaving  school  he  clerked 
for  a  time  at  Saramac  and  Clayburg,  New 
York,  and  in  1 874  came  west  to  Chicago 
where  he  again  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug 
store,  in  the  meantime  studying  pharmacy. 
In  1 88 1  he  came  to  Genoa  where  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  W.  P.  \'an  .Alstine  in  the 
drug  business,  and  in  the  meantime  con- 
tinuing his  studies  in  pharrnac\-,  graduating 
from  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  in 
1885.  He  then  bought  his  partner's  inter- 
est in  the  store,  since  which  time  he  has 
continued  the  business  alone. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  first  married  in  Genoa 
in  1879  to  Miss  Ada  \'an  Alstine,  who  died 
in  1885,  leaving  one  son.  Frank  Garfield. 
In  1886  he  married  Miss  .Anna  McCormack, 
a  daughter  of  Richard  McCormack.  She 
died  in  April,  1894,  leaving  one  daughter. 
Hazel  Frances.  Fraternally  Mr.  Robinson 
is  a  member  of  Genoa  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.;the  chapter  and  commandery,  of  Syca- 


more; the  consistory  of  Freeport;  the  Teba- 
la  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  at  Rockford;  the 
Eastern  Star  lodge  of  Genoa;  the  subor- 
dinate and  Rebecca  degree  lodge,  I.  O.  O. 
F. ,  of  Genoa,  and  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees. 

In  February,  1864,  Mr.  Robinson  enlist- 
ed in  the  Si.xteenth  New  York  Cavalry,  and 
served  until  1866,  principally  in  Virginia. 
He  was  in  the  engagements  in  the  \\'ilder- 
ness,  and  at  Culpeper  Courthouse  and  up- 
wards of  fifty  skirmishes.  He  enlisted  as  a 
bugler,  but  soon  went  into  the  ranks  and 
served  as  orderly.  His  record  was  an  ex- 
cellent one. 


JOHN  SULLIVAN  (UBSON,  deceased, 
was  born  in  Warsaw,  New  York,  in 
1 8 10.  He  was  of  Scotch  and  English  de- 
scent, and  in  his  youth  learned  the  tinsmith's 
trade,  an  occupation  which  he  followed  dur- 
ing his  entire  life.  He  was  twice  married. 
By  the  first  marriage  there  were  six  chil- 
dren, all  deceased  but  one  son,  Arthur  Vin- 
cent Gibson,  a  noted  bass  singer,  and  man- 
ager of  an  opera  company  in  New  York. 
Charles  Gibson  was  a  member  of  a  band  in 
the  military  service  during  the  Civil  war,  and 
while  yet  in  the  service  died  of  typhoid 
fever.  Porter  Gibson,  also  a  member  of  the 
band,  went  through  his  term  of  service,  but 
died  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war.  His 
second  union  was  in  1869,  when  he  wedded 
^frs.  Harriet  Marshall,  widow  of  John  Mar- 
shall, who  died  May  6,  1865,  and  who  was 
a  native  of  Nottinghamshire,  J^ngland,  born 
May  12,  181  5,  and  who  came  to  America  in 
June,  1848,  sailing  from  Liverpool  and  land- 
ing in  New  York,  after  a  voyage  of  thirty- 
two  days.  By  the  Hudson  river,  the  Erie 
canal  and  the  great   lakes   he   came  west   to 


THE   BIOGIL\PHICAL   RECORD. 


429 


Chicago  and  from  there  to  St.  Charles, 
Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  later  located  near 
Charter  Grove,  in  De  Kalb  county.  fFor 
the  genealogy  of  the  Marshall  family,  see 
sketch  of  John  Marshall  on  another  page  of 
this  work.)  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Mar- 
shall his  widow  purchased  residence  prop- 
erty in  Sycamore,  to  which  she  removed, 
and  was  there  residing  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  with  Mr.  Gibson.  She  then  re- 
moved with  him  to  Batavia,  where  she  re- 
sided until  his  death,  and  then  returned  to 
her  home  in  Sjxamore,  where  she  now  lives. 

Mrs.  Gibson's  maiden  name  was  Harriet 
Ashley.  She  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Cottonwood,  Shropshire,  England,  about 
thirty  miles  east  of  Liverpool,  June  15, 
1826,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Ashley,  a 
farmer  of  Shropshire,  who  was  the  son  of 
Robert  Ashley,  of  Crew  Hall,  England. 
William  Ashlej"  married  Ann  Fairclay,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  He 
also  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
They  came  to  America  early  in  1848,  ac- 
companied by  their  family.  Their  daughter 
Harriet  married  George  Marshall,  February 
29,  1848,  a  few  weeks  after  her  arrival  in 
America.  Mrs.  Gibson  has  two  sisters  and 
a  brother  living  in  England,  while  another 
sister  is  living  in  Aurora,  Illinois.  She  is 
quite  a  tra\eler,  and  spends  much  of  her 
time  in  that  way.  She  has  passed  one  win- 
ter in  California,  one  in  Florida,  visited 
much  in  Canada,  and  through  the  south,  and 
in  1896  crossed  the  ocean  and  visited  her 
old  home  in  England. 

John  Sullivan  Gibson  for  twenty-five 
years  was  with  Meredith  Brothers,  hard- 
ware dealers  in  Batavia,  and  was  with  them 
until  his  death.  He  was  an  active  man,  of 
very  strong  mind,  a  fine  singer  and  Christian 
gentleman,  and  forman\'  years  was  a  leader 


in  pra\er- meeting.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  and  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  politics  he 
was  an  ardent  Republican,  and  was  well 
posted  on  national  affairs.  His  death  re- 
sulted from  paralysis,  in  1882,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  j'ears. 


MYRON  E.  LAKE  is  one  of  the  younger 
and  enterprising  farmers  of  Paw  Paw 
township,  residing  on  section  25,  where  he 
has  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  well-improved  land.  He  was  born 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  which 
belongs  to  his  father  and  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres,  January  15,  1863,  and 
is  the  son  of  Almon  W.  Lake,  a  native  of 
Sterling,  Ca\uga  county.  New  York,  born 
October  13,  1829,  and  who  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Catherine  (Van  Tassel)  Lake,  the 
former  of  English  and  the  latter  of  German 
parentage.  The  family  moved  to  Illinois 
in  1840,  and  settled  in  Hancock  county, 
taking  up  their  residence  there  on  the 
31st  of  May.  In  1845  they  came  to  Paw 
Paw  township,  where  John  Lake  entered 
eighty  acres  of  land  and  where  our  subject 
now  resides.  Almon  Lake  worked  by  the 
month  to  get  a  start  in  life  and  pay  for 
his  first  land.  He  was  married  in  Paw 
Paw  township,  January  5,  i860,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Dennis,  a  native  of  Argyle  town- 
ship, Washington  countj'.  New  York,  born 
April  16,  1842,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  (McFarland)  Dennis.  On  the 
farm  which  he  had  previously  purchased, 
he  look  his  young  bride  and  they  there  re- 
sided until  1890,  when  he  turned  his  farm 
over  to  his  son,  our  subject,  removed  to 
Sandwich,     purchased     residence     propertv 


43o 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  He  was 
one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  the  town- 
ship and  placed  his  farm  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  with  good  improve- 
ments, including  a  good  substantial  resi- 
dence, good  barns,  various  outbuildings, 
fruit  and  ornamental  trees. 

Myron  E.  Lake  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm  and  was  educated  in  the 
home  schools.  He  remained  with  his 
father  until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and 
in  February,  1885,  married  Miss  Ella  M. 
Holmes,  a  daughter  of  George  R.  Holmes, 
then  a  substantial  farmer  in  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship, but  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  at  De  Ivalb.  By  this  union  there 
are  four  children:  Arthur  H.,  Bessie  May, 
Margaret  and  Frances.  After  marriage  Mr. 
Lake  worked  a  rented  farm  for  one  year, 
then  returned  to  the  home  farm,  where  he 
has  since  continued  to  reside,  and  where 
success  has  crowned  his  efforts.  In  addi- 
tion to  general  farming,  he  has  engaged 
in  stock-raising,  feeding  annually  for  the 
market  about  three  carloads  of  stock.  He 
has  likewise  engaged  in  the  dairy  business 
to  some  extent,  an  occupation  which  he  has 
followed  for  some  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Lake  has  ever  been  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  an  earnest  advocate 
of  the  principles  of  the  party.  He  was 
elected  and  served  one  year  as  road  com- 
missioner, but  has  never  desired  public 
office.  A  believer  in  the  public  schools,  he 
has  used  his  influence  to  secure  good  schools 
and  good  teachers,  and  is  now  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  Progressive  in  all 
things,  he  endeavors  to  do  his  work  faith- 
fully and  well,  and  in  his  quiet  life  he  en- 
joys the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  entire 
community,  in  which  he  has  been  a  life- 
long resident. 


JAMES  HALLETT  is  a  farmer  residing 
on  section  30,  May  field  township,  and 
who  came  to  De  Ivalb  county  in  1855.  He 
is  a  native  of  England,  born  near  Taunton, 
Somersetshire,  September  7,  1833,  and 
there  resided  until  eighteen  years  of  age, 
assisting  in  farm  work,  and  at  intervals  at- 
tending the  common  schools,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  fair  education.  A  young  man  of 
twenty-two  years,  he  crossed  the  ocean  and 
came  direct  to  De  Kalb  county,  locating  in 
South  Grove  township,  where  he  com- 
menced work  on  a  farm  by  the  month,  con- 
tining  in  that  occupation  for  seven  years  at 
two  hundred  dollars  per  year.  His  earn- 
ings were  saved,  and,  loaning  out  the  money, 
at  the  end  of  seven  years,  he  had  seventeen 
hundred  dollars.  He  then  returned  to  his 
native  land,  and  remained  at  his  old  home 
in  Somersetshire  for  two  years  assisting  his 
father    in  farming  and   gardening. 

The  old  country  had  but  little  attractions 
to  our  subject,  after  a  seven  years  residence 
in  the  new  world,  and  in  the  spring  of  1865, 
he  again  crossed  the  ocean,  and  made  his 
way  to  South  Grove  township,  De  Kalb 
county,  and  worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month 
for  six  months.  Early  in  the  spring  of 
1867,  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
Mayfield  township,  on  which  a  small  house 
had  been  erected  and  the  place  otherwise 
partially  improved.  Moving  to  the  farm, 
he  began  its  further  improvement,  and  has 
since  rebuilt  and  remodeled  the  house, 
built  a  good  large  barn,  set  out  an  orchard, 
and  enclosed  the  farm  with  a  well  trimmed 
hedge  fence,  making  it  a  very  neat  and  at- 
tractive place,  and  it  has  always  been  kept 
under  the  highest  state  of  cultivation. 

In  November,  1868,  in  De  Kalb  county, 
Mr.  Hallett  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  Jane    Hall,  a    native  of  Wiscon- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


43 1 


sin,  born  near  the  city  of  Madison.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  \'ermont,  and  one  of 
the  earl\-  settlers  in  \\'isconsin,  where  Mrs. 
Hallett  was  principal!}'  reared.  She  died 
in  October.  1890.  leaving  five  children. 
Eliza  is  now  the  wife  of  Malcolm  Doane.  of 
South  Grove  township.  Emilj"  Jane  is  the 
wife  of  \\".  E.  Cruikshank.  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  at  Col- 
vin  Park,  Illinois.  John  is  a  young  man  re- 
siding at  home,  and  operating  the  farm. 
Sarah  Belle  and  Olive  May  also  reside  at 
home.  William  Payne  died  at  the  age  of 
nine  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Hallett  is  a  Republican, 
a  party  into  which  he  naturally  drifted  on 
his  arrival  in  this  country.  .After  receiving 
his  naturalization  papers,  Mr.  Hallett  cast 
his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Rutherford 
B.  Hayes.  He  and  his  family  attend  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  South  Grove, 
and  contribute  of  their  means  to  its  sup- 
port. The\'  are  well  known  in  Sycamore 
and  in  the  northern  part  of  De  Kalb  county, 
and  are  among  the  most  highly  esteemed  of 
the  citizens  of  Mayfield  township. 


T  P.  REDMOND,  a  prosperous  and  enter- 
^J  prising  farmer  of  De  Kalb  county,  took 
up  his  residence  within  its  precincts  in  1872, 
and  owns  and  operates  a  valuable  and  well 
improved  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  sec- 
tions 25  and  36,  Milan  township.  He  is  the 
son  of  Murt  and  Elizabeth  (^Harris)  Red- 
mond, and  was  born  in  1856,  in  Penn's 
Park,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania.  Murt 
Redmond  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1826,  and 
when  twentj'-four  years  of  age  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Penn's  Park, 
Pennsylvania,  where,  in  i855.hewas  united 
in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Harris,  and  gave 


his  time  and  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
a  small  farm.  It  was  there  that  all  his  eight 
children  were  born,  of  whom  our  subject  is 
the  oldest.  Learning  of  the  possibilities  of 
Illinois,  its  fertile  fields  and  splendid  oppor- 
tunities, in  the  spring  of  1872  he  moved  with 
his  famil}-  to  Malta  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. Illinois,  and,  purchasing  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres  of  select  land,  proceeded  to  culti- 
vate and  improve  it.  and  to-day  it  is  an  ex- 
cellent piece  of  farm  property.  -After  a  life 
full  of  industry  and  persevering efiforts,  which 
have  been  rewarded  by  successful  results, 
he  retired  from  active  life  in  1885,  and  lives 
in  quiet,  free  from  care  and  responsibility  in 
De  Kalb. 

.At  the  time  of  his  father's  removal  west, 
J.  P.  Redmond  was  a  youth  of  sixteen  years 
and  when  not  in  school  was  assisting  his  fa- 
ther in  the  many  labors  that  farm  life  im- 
pose. With  an  inborn  thirst  for  knowledge, 
he  was  not  content  with  the  limited  training 
acquired  in  the  neighboring  schools,  and  for 
several  seasons  he  attended  the  higher 
graded  schools  of  De  Kalb,  and  supple- 
mented this  by  a  course  of  study  at  the  Me- 
tropolitan Business  College,  Chicago.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  began  teach- 
ing in  the  district  schools  and  served  in  this 
capacity  for  three  years,  to  which  were  sub- 
sequently added  several  winter  terms. 

Mr.  Redmond  was  united  in  marriage  in 
June.  1887.  with  Miss  Catherine  Lyons, 
daughter  of  John  Lyons,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  -Afton  township,  now  retired  and  residing 
in  .Aurora.  By  this  union  there  are  four 
children,  John,  Elizabeth,  Allen  and  Ruth. 
In  1895  he  moved  svith  his  family  from 
Malta  township,  where  he  had  resided  on 
the  old  homestead  and  cultivated  the  farm, 
to  Milan  township  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  consisting  of  two  hundred  acres,  which 


43^ 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


he  now  cultivates.  This  farm  is  well  im- 
proved in  outbuildings  and  fences,  is  thor- 
oughly tiled,  with  an  excellent  orchard  and 
an  abundance  of  shade  trees,  is  well  stocked 
and  is  among  the  best  pieces  of  farm  prop- 
erty in  De  Kalb  county. 

With  a  laudable  ambition  to  build  for 
himself,  Mr.  Redmond  has  coupled  indus- 
trious habits  with  a  will  and  determination 
to  overcome  all  obstacles  thrown  across  the 
path  to  success.  The  result  is  apparent. 
He  is  still  a  young  man  and  his  start  in  life 
can  not  but  lead  up  to  greater  and  more  far 
reaching  opportunities.  He  is  a  man  who 
thinks  for  himself,  and  this  is  especially  so  in 
all  political  matters,  and  at  the  election  he 
votes  his  convictions  independent  of  party. 
He  has  never  sought  political  office  nor 
preferment,  his  time  and  attention  being 
engrossed  in  the  many  duties  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  its  success  was  his  sole  and  only 
absorbing  desire. 

With  Mr.  Redmond's  attainments  in  mat- 
ters educational,  it  is  but  natural  that  his 
sympathy  and  support  go  out  to  increase 
and  improve  the  standard  of  education  in 
the  public  school,  and  as  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  popular  education  he  is  always  to 
be  relied  on.  He  is  a  member  of  the  De 
Kalb  lodge.  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  also  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is 
courteous  and  hospitable,  and  the  esteem  and 
popularity  which  are  connected  with  his 
name  are  but  the  natural  results  of  sincerity 
of  purpose,  thorough  integrity  and  a  kindly 
disposition. 


JAMES  L.  LITTLE,  residing  on  section 
4,  Kingston  township  has  been  engaged 
in  farming  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
He  was  born   in   Aurora,  Erie  county,  New 


York,  November  8,  1834,  and  is  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Amy  (Bingham)  Little.  Henry 
Little  was  a  native  of  Washington  county, 
New  York,  born  in  1789  and  his  wife  a 
native  of  Vermont,  born  in  1804.  The 
Littles  are  of  French  extraction,  while  the 
Binghams  were  originally  from  England. 
Henry  Little  and  wife  moved  to  the  west  in 
1845, landing  in  Milwaukee,  May  10,  of  that 
year,  coming  over  the  Great  Lakes  to  that 
city.  They  remained  one  year  in  Racine 
county,  and  in  1846  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  locating  in  Kingston  township, 
where  they  resided  for  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  They  took  up  a  quarter  section 
of  wild  land,  which  by  hard  work  and  close 
application  to  business  they  soon  succeeded 
in  subduing.  He  always  followed  agri- 
ciiltural  pursuits,  and  understood  farming 
in  all  its  details.  They  owned  considerable 
property,  but  gave  much  of  it  to  the  chil- 
dren, ownmg  at  the  time  of  their  death 
about  eighty  acres.  Mr.  Little  passed  away 
August  18,  1858,  his  wife  surviving  him 
many  years,  dying  September  5,  1891.  They 
were  both  devout  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Their  family  consisted 
of  nine  children  as  follows:  Henry  H., 
.\manda,  Rachel,  Lydia,  James  L. ,  Sarah, 
.Ann,  Emma  and  Erastus. 

James  L.  Little  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Erie  county.  New  York,  and  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois.  He  resided  under 
the  parental  roof  until  reaching  his  twenty- 
first  anniversary, at  which  time  hecommenccd 
life  for  himself.  In  course  of  time  his  uncle, 
Horace  Bingham,  gave  him  eighty  acres,  to 
which  he  added  forty  more,  which  would 
make,  deducting  for  the  railroad,  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  acres  of  excellent  farming 
land,  bordering  on  Boone  count}-.  Mr. 
Little  is  a  practical  farmer  in    the  full  sense 


JAMES    L.   LITTLE. 


LIBRARy 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THK    BIOGRAPHICAL    RPZCORD. 


435 


of  the  term,  and  has  been  fairly  successful 
in  his  life  work.  In  political  faith  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  religiously  a  Baptist. 

At  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  De  Kalb 
county  there  were  yet  many  Indians.  He 
well  remembers  breaking  the  virgin  prairie 
and  of  many  battles  with  the  rattlesnakes 
which  infested  the  long  grass;  also  talks  en- 
tertainingly of  all  the  hardships  and  pleas- 
ures incident  to  pioneer  life.  In  the  fifty- 
two  years  of  his  residence  in  De  Kalb 
county  Mr.  Little  has  earned  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
has  lived. 


ALFRED  L.  CLARKE,  who  resides  on 
section  29,  Mayfield  township,  is  a  life- 
long resident  of  the  county,  being  born  in 
Mayfield  township,  July  20,  1855.  His 
father.  Rev.  George  Clarke,  is  a  native  of 
England,  born  in  W'althanistoe,  Essex 
county,  February  2,  1823.  He  there  grew 
to  manhood,  and  received  a  classical  educa- 
tion. He  married,  in  Essex  county,  Louisa 
Lucy  Munt,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Munt. 
and  in  1846  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
with  his  young  bride,  and  first  located  in 
Du  Page  county,  Illinois.  He  was  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
commenced  preaching  when  but  sixteen 
years  of  age.  After  locating  in  Du  Page 
county  he  was  a  circuit  rider  for  two  years, 
his  salary  for  that  period  not  exceeding 
eighty  dollars.  In  1848  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  and  entered  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Mayfield  town- 
ship and  commenced  farm  life.  Success 
crowned  his  efforts  from  the  beginning,  and 
from  time  to  time  he  added  lo  his  posses- 
sions until  he  was  the  owner  of  sixteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  as  fine  land  as  can  be  found  in 
21 


De  Kalb  county.  While  attending  to  his 
farming  operations,  he  did  not  neglect  the 
ministry  of  the  Word,  but  served  as  a  local 
preacher  in  the  neighborhood  during  his  en- 
tire residence  there.  In  1884  he  turned 
over  the  old  place  to  his  son,  George  E., 
and  moved  to  Chicago,  where  he  is  living 
practically  a  retired  life,  although  dealing 
to  some  extent  in  real  estate.  For  a  few 
years  after  his  removal  to  that  city  he  was 
quite  extensively  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  and  was  fairly  successful.  His 
wife  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  February, 
1895,  ''nd  her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in 
the  Brush  Point  cemetery,  Mayfield  town- 
ship. Of  their  four  children,  William  E.  is 
a  substantial  farmer  of  Mayfield  township; 
Alfred  L.  is  the  subject  of  this  review; 
George  E.  owns  and  operates  the  old  home- 
stead; and  Louisa  L.  is  the  wife  of  Orlando 
Drake.  They  also  adopted  a  daughter, 
Alice  B.,  who  married  William  Beaman, 
but  is  now  deceased. 

Alfred  L.  Clarke  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  old  homestead,  and  was  educated  in 
the  home  schools.  He  remained  wiih  his 
parents  until  twenty-six  jears  of  age  and 
materially  assisted  in  the  farm  work.  He 
was  married  in  Sycamore,  November  30, 
1881,  to  Miss  Ella  A.  Knipp,  born  in  Kome, 
New  York,  and  who  came  with  her  father, 
George  Knipp,  when  a  child  of  eight  years, 
to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
business.  By  this  union  there  are  three 
children — Ethel  Pearl,  .Amelia  Priscilla  and 
Marcia  Ella. 

.\fter  his  marriage  Mr.  Clarke  located 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  com- 
mencing on  eighty  acres,  but  has  since 
added  to  the  area  of  his  farm  until  it  now 
Comprises  three  hundred  ancl  thirt}'  acres 
and  is  one  of  the   neatest    and    most  home- 


436 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


like  places  in  De  Kalb  county.  On  the  farm 
is  a  neat  and  substantial  residence,  which 
has  lately  been  remodeled,  large  barns,  good 
orchard,  and  the  grounds  ornamented  with 
fine  forest  trees,  flowers  and  shrubs.  The 
house  is  heated  with  a  furnace  and  hot  and 
cold  water  is  supplied  to  the  various  rooms, 
and  in  fact  it  has  all  the  modern  con- 
veniences of  the   present  day. 

Politically  Mr.  Clarke  is  a  lifelong  Re- 
publican, his  first  presidential  ballot  being 
cast  for  U.  S.  Grant  in  1876.  h^om  that 
time  to  the  present  the  party  has  always 
had  his  earnest  support,  and  while  he  cares 
nothing  for  official  position,  he  manifests  an 
active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party, 
attending  its  conventions  and  contributing 
of  his  means  to  its  success.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  has  served  on  the  school  board, 
a  part  of  which  time  he  has  been  its  presid- 
ing officer.  He  and  his  wife  attend  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Sycamore, 
in  which  faith  they  were  reared.  Both  are 
well  known  and  their  home  is  the  abode  of 
hospitality. 


HIRAM  GILKERSON  is  a  representative 
of  the  farming  interests  of  De  Kalb 
county,  and  resides  on  section  12,  Genoa 
township.  He  was  born  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  October  15,  1853.  His  fa- 
ther, John  Gilkerson,  was  born  in  Carlyle, 
England,  November  16,  1816,  and  came  to 
America  in  1841.  He  sailed  from  Liver- 
pool, landed  at  New  York,  and  for  seven 
years  remained  in  Homer,  Cortland  county, 
working  six  years  for  Israel  Boies.  In  1848 
he  came  west  to  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and 
lived  on  the  farm  of  a  brother  one  year, 
and  then  purchased  the  farm  where  our  sub- 
ject now  resides,  in  De  Kalb  county,  adding 


to  his  first  purchase,  however,  until  he  was 
the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
He  married  I'rances  Elizabeth  Williams, 
born  July  8,  1832,  in  Grafton  county.  New 
Hampshire,  and  who  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  with  her  parents  about  1849.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Pernel  B. 
(Worth)  Williams.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  three  children:  Hiram,  our  subject; 
John,  residing  with  our  subject;  and  Ida 
Mary,  wife  of  W.  S.  Campbell,  of  Genoa 
township.  The  paternal  grandparents,  John 
and  Mary  (Twentyman)  Gilkerson,  also  na- 
tives of  England,  came  to  America  in  1840, 
where  their  death  occurred.  John  Gilker- 
son died  March  28,  1865,  and  his  wife  Janu- 
ary 37,   1S90. 

Hiram  Gilkerson  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm,  and  received  his  primary 
education  in  the  district  school,  after  which 
he  attended  schools  in  Marengo  and  Syca- 
more, and  later  entered  the  University  of 
Illinois,  at  Champaign,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1877.  Returning  home  from 
college,  he  took  his  place  upon  the  farm, 
and  on  the  14th  of  October,  1877,  near 
W'averly,  Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Portia  Moffet, 
a  native  of  Bell  county,  Texas,  and  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Chauncey  and  Amelia  E. 
(Vancil)  Moffet. 

Dr.  Moffet  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  and  when  four  years  of  age  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Brussels,  Ohio,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  the  son  of 
Hosea  Moffet,  who  was  also  probably  a  na- 
tive of  New  York.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
the  Ohio  Medical  College,  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  near  Hills- 
boro,  Illinois.  In  1849  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Macoupin  county,  where  he  mar- 
ried, and  one  year  later  removed  to  Texas, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


437 


where  he  was  residing  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war.  Because  of  his  northern 
sympathy,  his  hfe  was  in  danger,  and  leav- 
ing Texas  he  <]uietly  made  his  way  to  Ar- 
kansas, where  he  was  pressed  into  service 
by  the  guerrillas,  and  was  in  the  battle  of 
Waldron.  He  escaped  from  the  rebels  and 
went  into  the  Union  service,  and  was  later 
discharged  for  disability  and  returned  to 
Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming. 

Amelia  E.  \'ancil,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Moffet, 
and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Gilkerson,  was  a 
native  of  Macoupin  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  Edmund  C.  Vancil,  a  well  known  capi- 
talist, and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  that 
county,  born  in  Kentucky  in  1799.  \\  ith 
his  parents  he  moved  to  Logan  county,  Illi- 
nois, in  18 1 7,  and  in  1822,  soon  after  at- 
taining his  majority,  went  to  Union  county, 
Illinois,  descending  the  Ohio  river  in  a  flat 
boat  to  Golconda.  He  remained  there, 
however,  but  a  short  time  and  then  went  to 
Jackson  count}',  where,  after  many  discour- 
agements, he  thought  best  to  make  another 
removal  and  went  to  Sangamon  county, 
Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1827,  and  shortly  aft- 
erwards moved  to  Macoupin  count}',  where, 
by  his  energ}'.  thrift  and  good  judgment  he 
became  one  of  the  wealthiest  landowners  in 
the  county.  He  was  married  in  Jackson 
county,  Illinois,  to  Mary  Byers,  a  daughter 
of  Judge  Byers  of  that  county.  On  leaving 
Sanganion  county  he  settled  in  Apple  Creek 
township,  Greene  county,  but  which  is  now 
Macoupin  county,  and  entered  the  third 
piece  of  land  taken  up  in  that  township. 
There  were  then  only  seven  or  eight  families 
in  the  entire  county.  In  1828  he  moved  ttj 
the  farm  which  was  his  home  for  so  man}' 
years.  In  securing  his  start  he  borrowed 
money  at  twenty-live  per  cent   interest,  not 


an  uncommon  rate  in  those  days.  He  had 
to  go  twenty  miles  to  mill,  sometimes  hav- 
ing to  wait  two  days  for  his  turn.  The 
nearest  store  was  at  Carrollton,  thirty  miles 
away.  In  the  famous  deep  snow  of  1830 
he  suffered  some  loss,  but  was  not  discour- 
aged. In  the  spring  of  1833  he  built  a  mill, 
and  a  distillery  in  1835.  He  was  a  man  of 
unusual  executive  ability  and  business  judg- 
ment. He  died  December  31,  1891,  and 
his  wife  May  25,   1890. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Gilkerson  began 
farming  for  himself,  and  first  purchased  five 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Genoa 
township,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
until  he  has  now  eight  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  On  his  farms  are  four  dwellings, 
four  large  barns,  several  of  which  were  built 
by  himself.  The  land  is  drained  by  about 
fifteen  miles  of  tiling;  what  was  once 
swamp,  is  now  fertile  farming  land. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilkerson  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Aletha  A.,  Francis  E., 
Thomas  John,  and  Portia  E. ;  the  first  named 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Marengo  high  school,  in 
the  class  of  1898,  and  is  now  attending  the 
University  of  Illinois,  and  the  second  will 
graduate  in  1899.  In  politics  Mr.  Gilker- 
son is  an  independent  Republican,  and,  by 
reason  of  his  interest  in  the  public  schools, 
he  has  served  as  school  director  for  nine 
years.  A  practical  farmer  and  good  busi- 
ness man,  he  has  been  uniformly  successful. 


THEODORE  D.  DRISCOLL,  a  substan- 
tial farmer  residing  on  section  1 1,  South 
Grove  township,  has  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  township,  his 
birth  occurring  Ai)ril  5,  1838,  and  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  which  has 
principally   been  his  home   for   more    than 


438 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


sixty  years.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Losier)  Driscoll,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
only  two  of  whom  are  living,  Elizabeth  and 
Theodore  D. 

In  1 836  William  Driscoll  left  his  native 
state  and  with  his  family  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  located  in  South  Grove  town- 
ship, where  he  made  claim  to  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  which  he  purchased  when 
the  land  later  came  into  market.  His  was 
the  first  claim  made  in  the  township  by  a 
permanent  settler.  At  that  time  settle- 
ments were  few  and  far  between,  the  near- 
est mill  being  at  Ottawa,  fiftj'  miles  away. 
With  ox  team  they  hauled  their  wheat  to 
the  mill,  and  in  fact  used  oxen  for  all  pur- 
poses of  travel.  Three  years  after  making 
his  settlement  William  Driscoll  died,  leav- 
ing a  widow  and  eight  children  to  make 
their  way  alone  in  the  world,  and  in  a  new 
country,  with  but  few  of  the  comforts  ob- 
tained in  the  older  states. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  at 
home  and  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
farm,  in  the  meantime  attending  the  primi- 
tive schools  of  this  new  country.  In  those 
schools  he  obtained  a  fair  education,  and  is 
to-day  a  well-informed  man  and  recognized 
as  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. In  1859,  on  attaining  his  majority,  he 
came  into  possession  of  the  old  homestead, 
and  from  time  to  time  he  has  added  to  its 
area,  until  he  has  now  over  eight  hundred 
acres  of  well-improved  and  valuable  land, 
together  with  a  large  amount  of  personal 
property. 

Mr.  Driscoll  was  married  January  6, 
1875,  to  Miss  Harriet  L.  Tindall,  also  a 
native  of  South  Gro\e  township,  and  a 
daughter  of  Jesse  Tindall,  who  was  also  one 


of  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  county.  Mrs. 
Driscoll  was  born  January  21,  1843,  and  re- 
ceived a  good  education  and  for  some  years 
followed  the  profession  of  teacher  prior  to 
her  marriage.  Her  parents,  Jesse  and  Mary 
(I'jarber)  Tindall,  were  natives  of  New  Jersey 
and  New  York,  respectively.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Driscoll  four  children  have  been  born: 
Jesse,  Elizabeth,  Harriet  and  Arthur. 

In  politics  Mr.  Driscoll  is  a  Republican, 
with  which  party  he  has  been  identified 
since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860.  While  he  is  a 
thoroughgoing  Republican  and  gives  of  his 
time  and  means  to  advance  the  interest  of 
his  party,  he  has  never  himself  been  an 
office  seeker.  He  has,  however,  been  pre- 
vailed upon  to  accept  some  of  the  township 
offices  and  is  at  present  township  treasurer 
and  school  director.  Religiously  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  body  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 
A  lifelong  resident  of  the  county  he  has 
done  much  to  advance  its  growth  and  devel- 
opment. When  he  was  born  Indians  were 
still  numerous  in  the  vicinity,  but  they  have 
long  since  disappeared  and  the  oldest  inhab- 
itant can  scarcely  realize  that  they  were 
ever  here.  Villages,  towns  and  cities  have 
sprung  up  and  nearly  every  acre  of  land  has 
been  placed  under  cultivation  and  evidences 
of  thrift  are  everywhere  at  hand.  To  such 
men  as  Theodore  Driscoll  and  his  pioneer 
father  the  credit  is  due  for  the  wonderful 
changes  that  have  been  made. 


JOHN  MARSHALL,  who  is  a  prosper- 
ous farmer,  residing  on  section  11,  Syc- 
amore township,  was  born  in  North  Clifton, 
Nottinghamshire,  England,  September  21, 
1825,  and  is  the  son  of  William    and    Mary 


THE   BIOGIL\PHICAL   RECORD. 


439 


(Binghacii)  Marshall,  the  former  born  in  the 
parish  of  Dunham,  Nottinjjhamshire,  Eng- 
land, in  17S9.  He  was  a  farm  laborer  in 
England,  and  came  to  America  in  1852,  and 
lived  with  his  sons  until  his  death,  in  1876. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  \Vesle\'an  Method- 
ist church  in  which  he  took  great  interest. 
He  never  became  a  naturalized  citizen.  His 
sympathies  were  with  prohibition  princi- 
ples. His  wife  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
Ta.xilbj",  Nottinghamshire,  England,  in  1790. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  George  Bingham, 
also  a  native  of  England,  who  died  about 
1830,  when  probably  eighty  years  old.  She 
died  in  1 88 1,  in  Sycamore  township,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-one  years.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  still  living:  William,  residing  in  St. 
Charles,  tllinois;  John,  our  subject;  Ann,  wife 
of  John  Lawrence,  of  Sycamore;  Thomas, 
residing  in  Sycamore  township  ;  and  Me- 
lissa, wife  of  Edward  t^awrence.  of  Elgin, 
Illinois. 

John  Marshall  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  countr\-,  and  attended  the  subscrip- 
tion schools,  when  the  opportunit}-  was  af- 
forded him,  until  ten  \'ears  of  age.  The 
school  facilities  in  England  at  that  time  were 
not  very  good,  especially  for  poor  people. 
When  grown  he  purchased  many  books, 
although  at  first  he  could  not  read  very 
well.  This  was  true  even  after  he  came  to 
America.  In  his  native  land  he  worked  as 
a  farm  laborer  at  fort\  cents  a  day.  He 
kept  a  wife  and  two  children  on  twelve 
pounds  per  year,  the  highest  wages  he  ever 
received  before  coming  to  America.  He 
was  married  in  North  Clifton,  England,  in 
1848,  to  Eliza  Baker,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  ( Moody)  Baker.  Two  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union,  before  they 
left   their  native  land:     Mary,  who  died  at 


the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  William,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Realizing  that  England  was  no  place  for 
a  poor  man,  Mr.  Marshall  determined  on 
coming  to  America.  With  his  family  he 
sailed  from  Liverpool  in  the  latter  part  of 
.April,  1851,  in  the  vessel  Trumbull,  and  after 
a  voyage  of  twenty-nine  days  landed  at 
New  York,  where  he  took  a  boat  up  the 
Hudson  river  to  .Albany,  and  by  canal  went 
to  Buffalo,  and  from  there  by  the  lakes  to 
Chicago.  For  seven  weeks  he  slept  every 
night  on  the  water.  He  finally  reached 
St.  Charles,  Illinois,  June  9,  185 1.  .After 
working  one  week  in  a  brick  yard  he  secured 
work  as  a  mason's  helper  in  the  erection  of  a 
large  mill.  He  was  a  very  strong  man, 
and  his  employer  wagered  that  he  could 
wheel  more  stone  on  the  building  in  one  day 
than  any  other  man.  In  England  he  had 
easily  shouldered  four  bushels  of  wheat. 

In  the  fall  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Marshall 
hired  to  a  merchant  to  work  a  small  farm 
near  St.  Charles.  He  continued  in  that 
employment  for  three  years,  then  rented  a 
farm  on  shares  for  two  years.  He  then 
came  to  Sycamore  township  and  rented  a 
farm  on  shares  for  eight  years,  and  in  icS65 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres.  For  a  time  he  gave  spe- 
cial attention  to  dairying,  but  of  late  has 
devoted  his  time  more  especially  to  stock 
and  grain.  .\1I  the  buildings  now  upon  the 
place  were  erected  by  him,  including  the 
dwelling,  barn,  granary,  cornhouse,  ha\- 
house  and  woodhouse.  His  land  is  well 
drained  with  some  five  or  si.\  miles  of  tiling. 

.After  their  arrival  in  .America,  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Marshall  five  children  were  born.  Jane 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Charles 
married  .Ann  Westlake  and  they  have  four 
children — John  Henry,  Lester  Uavid,  Eliza 


440 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Catherine  and  Merrill  Westlake.  They  re- 
side in  Sycamore  township.  John  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years.  George  died  when 
two  months  old.  Emma  Ann  married  New- 
ton Darnell,  and  they  have  four  children — 
George,  Arthur,  Nellie  and  Alice.  They 
also  reside  in  Sycamore  township.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  April  5,  1S78, 
and  Mr.  Marshall  was  again  married  April 
13,  1880,  to  Mary  E.  Slothower,  a  native 
of  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  born  De- 
cember I,  1847,  and  a  daughter  of  John  I), 
and  Sarah  E.  (Hartsook)  Slothower,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Lookenbill)  Hartsook.  John  D.  Slothower 
was  the  son  of  Stephen  Slothower,  who  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Diehl. 

In  politics  Mr.  Marshall  is  an  uncomjiro- 
mising  Prohibitionist  and  for  some  years 
held  the  office  of  road  commissioner  and 
also  of  school  director.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  church,  in  the  work 
of  which  he  has  taken  an  active  part. 


OLE  N.  HILL  resides  on  section  29, 
Victor  township,  where  he  operates  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
valuable  and  well-improved  land,  the  farm 
lying  within  two  and  a  half  mil*  of  the 
village  of  Leland.  He  is  a  native  of  De 
Kalb  county,  born  November  7,  1S66,  and 
is  the  son  of  N.  J.  Hill,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  In  the 
common  schools  of  Victor  township,  he  re- 
ceived his  education  and  until  he  attained 
his  majority  assisted  his  father  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  home  farm.  He  was  married 
February  2,  1887,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hub- 
bert,  a  native  of  Norway,  and  to  them  si.\ 
children  have  been  born,  one  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.      The  living  are   Mabel  M.,  Ella 


O.,  Oscar  N.,  Gertie  and  Elizabeth  L. , 
three  of  whom  are  attending  the  connnon 
schools. 

Immediatcl}'  after  marriage,  Mr.  Hill 
rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  which  he  woiked  one 
year,  and  then  moved  to  an  adjoining  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he 
cultivated  for  one  year.  Returning  to  De 
Kalb  county  he  rented  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  four  acres,  which  lie  culti\ated 
two  years,  then  moved  to  th('  old  home- 
stead, where  he  has  since  continued  to  re- 
side. The  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  stanch  Rei)ublican.  While 
yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  Mr.  Hill  has  shown 
good  business  ability,  is  a  thoroughgoing 
practical  farmer,  and  success  will  undoubt- 
edly crown  his  efforts. 


AMERICUS  H.  POND  is  a  well  known 
farmer  of  Genoa  township,  but  now 
living  a  retired  life.  He  traces  his  ancestry 
back  to  colonial  days.  The  first  known  is 
Samuel  Pond  of  Windsor,  Connecticut, 
whose  coming  to  America  was  in  the  earliest 
days  of  the  colony.  Samuel,  the  earliest 
ancestor  of  our  subject  positively  known, 
from  a  number  of  corroborating  circum- 
stances, is  supposed  to  be  the  second  son  of 
the  first  named.  He  had  a  son,  born  in 
1679,  whom  he  also  named  Samuel.  The 
next  in  line  was  Phillip,  born  1706,  whose 
son  Daniel,  born  in  1726,  was  known  as  the 
patriarch,  because  of  his  large  family  of 
seventeen  children,  most  of  whom  lived  to 
maturity.  He  moved  with  his  family  to 
Poultney,  Vermont,  when  that  region  was  a 
vast  wilderness,  and  there  acquired  a  large 
estate.       Pond    Hill,     near   that   place,    was 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


441 


named  in  his  honor.  William,  son  of  Dan- 
iel, born  1763.  married  Ruth  Wood.  He 
rerved  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died 
in  1S38.  Harry  Pond,  son  of  William,  was 
born  in  Leno.x,  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1798.  He  removed  with  his 
father's  family  to  Poultney,  later  moved  to 
New  York  state  and  from  there  to  Spring- 
boro,  Penns\lvania,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. His  wife  was  Lovina  Hollembeak, 
a  native  of  Ticonderoga  county,  New  York. 
Their  son,  Americus  H.  Pond,  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Americus  H.  Pond  was  born  in  Spring- 
boro,  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 20.  1 83 1.  After  attending  the  common 
schools  he  spent  one  year  and  a  half  in  the 
Grand  River  Institute,  at  Austinburg,  Ash- 
tabula county,  Ohio.  In  September,  1851, 
he  came  west  and  located  in  Genoa  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  He  began 
life  for  himself  with  nothing  but  his  energy 
as  capital.  During  his  first  winter  in  the 
county  he  taught  school  for  eighteen  dollars 
per  month  in  South  Grove. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1852.  Mr.  Pond 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Amy  N. 
Hollembeak,  a  daughter  of  Ruloff  W.  and 
Electa  (Ames)  Hollembeak.  Ruloff  was  the 
son  of  Abraham  Hollembeak,  whose  father 
was  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from 
Holland  in  colonial  days.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pond  eight  children  have  been  born. 
Emily  married  Dillon  S.  Brown,  of  the  firm 
of  Brown  (S:  Brown,  bankers,  Genoa.  Leon 
is  deceased.  Charles  C.  is  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business  at  Sycamore.  Mary 
died  in  infancy.  William  L.  is  the  present 
count}'  judge  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  resides 
in  the  city  of  De  Kalb.  Harry  is  now  liv- 
ing at  Fayette,  Iowa,  and  is  a  traveling 
salesman.    Elizabeth  married  Henrv  S.  Bur- 


roughs, who  is  operating  our  subject's  farm. 
George  died  in  infancy. 

For  a  number  of  years  after  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Pond  cultivated  rented  land,  it 
seeming  almost  impossible  for  him  to  get  a 
substantial  start  in  life.  His  first  purchase 
of  land  was  in  1859,  when  he  secured  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he 
greatly  improved,  and  on  which  he  resided 
until  1865.  when  he  sold  the  same  and  pur- 
chased a  part  of  his  present  fine  farm,  to 
which  he  added  until  he  has  now  about  three 
hundred  acres  of  excellent  farm  land,  which 
is  under  the  highest  state  of  cultivation. 
Politically  he  is  a  prohibitionist. 


ANDREW  LO\"ELL,  who  is  practically 
living  a  retired  life  on  his  farm  in  sec- 
tion 25,  Sycamore  township,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Newfield,  Tompkins  county. 
New  York,  June  5,  1823.  His  father, 
James  Lovell,  was  in  Binghamton.  New 
York,  July  15,  1799,  and  died  in  Cortland 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  April  6, 
187S.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer, 
which  vocation  he  followed  all  his  life,  al- 
though working  for  a  time,  in  certain  sea- 
sons of  the  year,  at  the  Cooper's  trade. 
He  married  Catherine  Linderman,  a  native 
of  Orange  county,  New  York,  born  Septem- 
ber 12,  1799,  and  a  daughter  of  Ezekial 
Linderman.  She  died  January  29,  1882. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  in 
his  native  state,  until  in  his  si.xteenth  year, 
in  the  meantime  receiving  a  limited  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  After  reach- 
ing the  age  mentioned,  he  came  west  to  St. 
Charles,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year  and  a  half,  and  then  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Ohio  Grove,  Cort- 
land township,  De  Kalb  county,  and  there 


442 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


remained  with  them  until  the  age  ol  twenty- 
one  years,  lie  then  went  to  Wisconsin,  in 
the  lumber  regions,  and  {or  six  or  seven 
years  was  engaged  in  lumbering  in  that 
state,  and  during  the  summer  farmed  or 
worked  at  the  cooper's  trade  in  Cortland. 
About  1853,  he  occupied  his  present  farm, 
where  at  one  time  he  had  three  hundred 
acres,  but  has  since  sold  all  but  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  He  established  a  cream- 
ery upon  his  place  for  the  manufacture  of 
butter  and  cheese,  and  continued  that  in 
connection  with  farming  for  some  jears. 
About  1888,  he  retired  from  active  farm 
work. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1849,  in 
Cortland  township,  Mr.  Lovell  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Sallie  Ann  Finley, 
born  in  the  town  of  Burlington,  Delaware 
county,  Ohio,  November  10,  1824,  and  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Lowrie)  Fin- 
ley.  The  former,  anativeof  \'irginia,  born 
February  6,  1798,  and  died  November  26, 
1872.  The  latter,  born  July  28,  1796,  and 
died  March  9,  1856.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lovell 
four  children  have  been  born:  Addie, 
wife  of  ^^'illiam  Stamin;  Mary,  wife  of 
Alfred  Stovve.  a  farmer  of  Cortland  town- 
ship; and  Andrew,  who  married  Lottie  Varty, 
and  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Cortland  town- 
ship. 

William  Stamm  was  born  in  Water- 
town,  Massachusetts,  No\ember  22,  1847, 
and  mo\ed  from  there  to  Milwaukee  with 
his  parents  in  1848.  In  1852  the  family 
moved  to  California,  leaving  William  with 
some  friends  on  a  farm,  and  he  there  re- 
mained until  1874.  He  then  went  to  Mil- 
waukee and  worked  in  an  agricultural  im- 
plement manufactory  for  some  si.x  or  seven 
years,  going  from  there  to  l>atuvia,  Illinois, 
where  he  spent  four  or    five   jears  working 


on  a  farm  and  in  a  creamery.  I'"rom  Bata- 
\ia  he  went  to  Montgomery,  Jllinois,  where 
he  remained  three  years,  then  came  to  S\c- 
amore  township  and  lived  four  and  a  half 
3'ears,  going  from  here  to  Rochester,  Min- 
nesota, for  si.x  years,  returning  to  Sycamore 
township  in  September,  1894,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  operating  the  farm  and  cream- 
ery of  Mr.  Lovell.  He  was  married  Novem- 
ber 12,  1890.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Andrew  Lovell  is  well  known  through- 
out De  Kalb  county  as  a  man  of  good  busi- 
ness ability,  one  thoroughly  reliable  in  every 
respect.  \\'hile  he  did  not  enter  the  service 
himself,  two  of  his  brothers  assisted  in 
maintaining  the  Union  by  service  in  the 
Civil  war.  In  politics  he  is  a  thorough  Re- 
publican. 


RALPH  A.  HOUCK  is  a  retired  farmer 
and  engineer  residing  in  Sandwich,  Illi- 
nois, and  who  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
state  since  1843.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson 
county,  New  York,  in  1837,  and  is  the  son 
of  Elijah  and  Lucy  (McCune)  Houck,  the 
latter  being  a  sister  of  Harvey  McCune,  a 
wealthy  merchant  and  very  popular  man, 
who  had  a  wide  acquaintance  throughout 
the  whole  country.  Elijah  Houck,  the 
father,  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  a 
man  cf  sterling  integrit}-,  with  great  vigor  of 
mind.  From  Jefferson  county.  New  York, 
in  1838,  he  removed  to  Chautauqua  county, 
in  the  same  state,  and  in  1843  came  to  Illi- 
nois, and  located  on  a  farm  in  Kane  county, 
about  four  miles  west  of  Geneva.  That 
season  was  a  very  rainy  one,  and  one  long 
to  ba  reme.nbe.-ed.  He  took  up  about 
three  hundred  acres  on  Mill  creek,  and  made 
of  it  one  of  the  model  farms  of  the  county. 


RALPH  A.   HOUCK. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


445 


V^  Our  subject    owns    one    hundred'   and    tifty 

acres  of  ths  same,  all  of  which  is  linely  im- 
proved with  good  pasture  land  and  a  bluff  to 
protect  the  house  and  orchard.  The  farm 
he  rents. 

To  Elijah  and  Lucy  Houck  ssven  chil- 
dren were  born.  .\manda  married  Dr. 
Sykes,  and  died  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  fifty 
years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  one  who  greatl}'  delighted  in 
all  church  and  benevolent  work.  Marvin 
married  Parnielia  Marks,  and  died  in  1884, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  Mary  mar- 
ried Mr.  Harding  and  died  recently  at  the 
age  of  si.xtj'  years.  She  was  a  friend  of  the 
poor,  and  did  much  to  relieve  their  suffer- 
ings. Araniinda,  unmarried,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-five  years.  Alma,  also  unmar- 
ried, died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years.  Sarah 
died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years.  Ralph  A.,  the  subject  of  this  skelch, 
is  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

The  subject  of  this  biographj-  came  west 
in  1843.  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  supplemented  by  instruc- 
tions in  a  private  school,  taught  by  Richard 
Ellis,  of  Belleville.  New  York.  John  Paul- 
ton  was  another  one  of  his  teachers,  who 
later  became  an  eminent  preacher  of  the 
},ospel.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  but 
two  and  a  half  ye  irs  of  age.  but  his  father 
lived  for  many  years  afterwards,  and  gave 
special  attention  to  his  training.  He  died 
in  18S0,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
'1  hey  were  both  members  of  the  Presb\te- 
rian  church  and  died  in  the  full  assurance  of 
faith. 

On  comirrg  to  Sandwich,  Mr.  Houck  en- 
gaged with  the  Sandwicli  Manufacturing 
Company  as  an  engineer,  and  continued  in 
that  position  for  ten  years,  giving  entire  sat- 
isfaction to  his  employer.      Previous  to  this. 


however,  he  was  the  first  engineer  of  the 
Sandwich  P'louring  Mills,  and  remained  with 
that  concern  for  ten  years.  He  is  tlie 
owner  of  considerable  stock  in  the  Sand- 
wich Manufacturing  Company,  which  is  re- 
garded as  a  good  investment.  In  addition 
to  his  farm  he  owns  a  good  house  and  four 
acres  of  land  within  the  city  limits  of  Sand- 
wich, and  there  engages  in  gardening,  giving 
the  proceeds  to  the  poor.  On  Thanks- 
giving day,  1897,  he  had  teams  distribute 
over  one  hundred  bushels  of  potatoes  among 
the  deserving  poor  of  his  adopted  city.  He 
is  a  large  he.irted  and  generous  man,  and 
giving  riiuch  10  the  Lord's  poor.  For  the 
past  twenty-one  years  he  has  donated  to  the 
Bible  society  from  twenty  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  per  year.  From  the  pro- 
ceeds of  these  donations  Bibles  are  furnished 
to  many  who  could  not  afford  their  pur- 
chase. A  worthy  and  prosperous  citizen, 
much  praise  is  accorded  him  for  generous 
and  timely  gifts  to  widows  and  orphans  and 
the  poor  generally.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  i  nd  was  con- 
verted at  a  \  ery  early  age. 


ED\V.\KD  HVRO  is  among  the  younger 
of  De  Kalb  county's  farmers  whose  in- 
dustr\'  and  good  management  have  resulted 
in  his  ownership  of  an  excellent  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  si.xty  acres  thoroughly  tiled 
and  fenced,  a  neat  and  substantial  residence 
and  various  outbuildings.  His  farm  and 
residence  is  located  on  section  10,  Milan 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  Stavanger, 
Norway,  and  was  born  .\[>ril  20,  1 860.  It 
was  there  he  was  reared  and  educated  aird 
assisted  his  father  in  cultivating  the  home 
farm,  until  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  when  in  1881  he  set  out  for  Amer- 


446 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ica  and  after  landing  in  New  York  came  di- 
rect to  Kendall  count}-,  Illinois,  where  for 
three  years  he  was  employed  at  farm  work 
for  several  farmers.  In  1S84  he  moved  to 
Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and  for  two  years 
he  worked  by  the  month  on  the  Hoge  farm. 
Later  he  rented  a  part  of  the  Hoge  farm, 
and  began  its  cultivation  on  his  own  account. 
He  remained  there  until  1 89 1 ,  at  which  time 
his  accumulated  earnings,  the  result  of  hard 
work,  strict  economy  and  excellent  manage- 
ment, which  provided  the  means  to  purchase 
a  farm  for  himself,  and  he  accordingly  moved 
to  De  Kalb  county  and  purchased  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Byro's  father,  Ole  Byro,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Stavanger,  Norway,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  He  was  a  successful 
farmer  and  a  man  universally  respected  in 
the  community.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Ellen 
Serene  Nesxem,  daughter  of  Ole  Nesxem,  a 
farmer  and  native  of  Norway,  who  resided 
near  the  Byro  family  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Stavanger.  Edward  Byro  is  the  young- 
est of  their  family  of  three  children,  the 
others  being  Ellen  and  Ole.  The  eldest  child, 
Ellen,  married  in  Stavanger,  Gunter  John- 
son, a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  at  her  death 
was  the  mother  of  two  daughters.  Ole  is  a 
prosperous  farmer  residing  in  Shabbona 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois. 

Edward  Byro  married  Miss  Emily  John- 
son, daughter  of  Thomas  and  Bertha  (At- 
letved)  Johnson,  a  farmer  residing  near  Sta- 
vanger, Norway.  Her  parents  came  to 
America  in  1866,  and  settled  in  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  where  her  father  was  em- 
ployed, working  on  various  farms  by  the 
month.  Later  he  moved  to  Nebraska,  but 
subsequently  returned  to  Illinois  locating  in 
Lee  county.  They  now  reside  on  their  own 
farm  in  Webster  county,  Iowa.      .Mrs.  Byro 


is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  and  was 
born  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  April  21, 
1868.  Her  education  was  received  in  the 
various  schools  in  the  localities  in  which  at 
different  times  her  parents  resided.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Byro  four  children  have  been  born 
— Ollie,  Burt  Elias,  Severt  Thurman  and 
Alfred,  all  of  whom  are  attending  school. 

Mr.  Byro  is  an  ardent  Republican  and 
cast  his  first  presidential  \ote  for  Benjamin 
Harrison,  and  at  all  elections  supports  with- 
out qualification  the  nominees  of  his  party. 
The  entire  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  attend  services  at 
the  chapel,  located  in  the  west  part  of  the 
township.  He  deserves  much  credit  for  the 
progress  that  he  has  made  and  which  after 
all  is  the  reward  of  diligent  and  persevering 
effort.  Starting  in  life  in  a  strange  country 
and  unable  to  speak  the  language,  he  had 
much  to  contend  with  and  many  obstacles 
to  overcome.  He  had  tletermination  and 
was  always  industrious,  and  these  (juaj- 
ities  with  his  excellent  habits  has  enabled 
him  to  make  material  progress  in  acquir- 
ing \aluable  farm  lands,  and  above  all,  in 
enjoying  and  possessing  the  esteem  and 
well  wishes  and  confidence  of  the  general 
public. 


EZEKIEL  NOBLE,  an  old  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  Afton  township, 
resides  upon  a  farm  which  he  purchased 
nearly  half  a  century  ago.  He  is  a  native 
of  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  born  May  31, 
1818,  and  is  the  son  of  Ezekiel  and  Hannah 
(Gates)  Noble,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Rutland  county,  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  our  subject  being  the 
only  one  of  the  number  now  living.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Captam  David  Noble, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


447 


was  a  native  of  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts, 
and  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  The  family  are  descended  from 
John  Noble,  who  came  from  England  to 
America  in  a  very  early  day,  locating  in 
Massachusetts.  The  father  of  our  subject 
followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  in  \'er- 
inont,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years,  honored  and  respected  by  all  men. 

Ezekial  Xoble,  our  subject,  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  county  and  state, 
and  after  passing  through  the  common 
schools,  attended  a  school  at  Castleton, 
Vermont,  three  years,  and  later  read  medi- 
cine for  two  years,  but  ne\er  engaged  in 
practice.  In  1840  he  went  to  New  York 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  for  one  year 
in  the  district  schools.  In  1842  he  located 
at  Owego,  New  York,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  woodenware  with  a  fair 
degree  of  success.  In  1854  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  county.  Illinois,  and  purchased  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

On  the  7th  of  December,  1842,  Mr. 
Noble  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Nancy  A.  Tyler,  and  to  them  were  born 
eleven  children,  si.\  of  whom  were  deceased. 
The  living  are  William  M.,  Arthur  G.. 
Charles  P.,  Horner  E.  and  Mertie  M. 
Mrs.  Noble  died  November  3,  1874,  at  the 
age  of  fifty  years.  She  was  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  one 
whose  hope  was  steadfast  and  who  died  in 
the  hope  of  a  resurrection  and  a  life  bejond 
the  grave.  Mr.  Noble  was  agiin  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Mary  E. 
IngersoU,  a  native  of  Ne^v  York.  Their 
marriage  was  solemnized   August  20,   1876. 

Politically  .\ir.  Noble  is  a  Republican 
and  has  been  an  earnest  advocate  of  tin; 
principles  of  the   party  since  its   organiza- 


tion. He  has  been  a  leader  in  his  party  in 
Afton  township  and  has  often  served  as  a 
delegate  in  its  various  conventions.  For 
thirteen  years  he  served  as  supervisor  of 
Afton  township,  making  a  valuable  mem- 
ber and  serving  on  the  most  important  com- 
mittees. For  more  than  thirty  years  he 
has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  ami  still 
holds  the  office,  the  duties  of  which  he  has 
discharged  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner. 
He  is  now  serving  as  township  school  trus- 
tee, a  position  he  has  held  for  three  years. 
Religiously  he  is  associated  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  body  his 
wife  is  also  a  member,  and  they  are  both 
devoted  to  the  Master's  work.  Mrs.  Noble 
has  held  the  office  of  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  County  Sunday-school  Associ- 
ation, and  also  is  superintendent  of  the 
Afton  Union  Sunday  school,  and  is  the 
president  of  the  \\'.  C.  T.  U.,  and  is  very 
zealous  in  the  work  of  the  society. 


CG.  W'lLLRETT  is  a  .  prosperous 
farmer,  whose  farm  lies  on  section  i, 
Milan,  and  section  36,  Malta  township.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  August  6, 
1866,  and  is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Car- 
rie W'illrett,  both  natives  of  the  same  coun- 
try, where  their  entire  li\-es  were  spent. 
Their  family  consisted  of  si.\  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  is  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 
In  his  native  land  he  remained  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  and  there  received  his 
education  in  the  public  and  parochial 
schools,  and  from  the  time  he  was  able  to 
assist,  did  his  full  share  in  the  work  of 
farming.  In  h'ebruary,  1883,  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  soon  after  his  arrival 
went  to  Malta  t(jwnship,  where  he  worked 
on  a  rented  farm  for  one  vear.      Continuint; 


448 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


farm  work,  he  loilcd  year  b}'  year,  laj'ing 
by  a  certain  sum  yearly,  and,  being  indus- 
trious and  enterprising,  success  crowned  his 
efforts,  and  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  the 
farm  of  Peter  Benson  in  the  fall  of  1893, 
and  which  comprised  two  hundred  acres  of 
well  improved  land. 

On  the  25th  of  [une,  1892,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar}'  Gomel, 
also  a  native  of  Germany,  born  March  20, 
1865,  and  the  daughter  of  John  and  F"red- 
ericka  (Centner)  Gomel.  They  have  now 
three  children,  John,  Elmer  and  Lizzie. 

Mr.  Willrett  has  foUow'ed  farming  dur- 
ing his  entire  life,  and  understands  it  in  all 
its  branches.  In  the  old  country  lie  \\as 
trained  to  be  methodical  in  his  work,  and 
since  corning  to  this  country  he  has  endeav- 
ored to  make  use  of  the  training  received  in 
early  life.  His  farm  is  pleasantly  situated, 
and  every  acre  of  it  is  thoroughly  cultivated 
or  used  for  stock  purposes.  He  is  loyal  to 
his  adopted  country,  and  has  already  held 
some  township  offices,  including  road  com- 
missioner from  1896  to  1897. 


H 


ENRY  O.  WHITMORE,  now  living  re- 
tired in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  but  who 
for  many  \ears  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Mayheld  township,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Pomfret,  Windsor  county,  Ver- 
mont, October  18,  1843.  His  father,  Enos 
Whituiore,  was  born  in  W'eatliersfield,  Wind- 
sor county,  \'ermont,  November  27,  1805, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood  and  acquired  a 
common-school  education.  He  was  mar- 
ried April  7,  1836,  to  Miss  Celina  Reed,  also 
a  native  of  Windsor  county,  \'ermont,  born 
November  23,  1815.  While  in  Vermont  he 
was  for  several  years  proprietor  of  a  woolen 
factory.      In  1841  they  moved  from  \\'eath- 


erstield  to  Pomfret,  \'ermont,  and  there  re- 
mained until  1847,  when  they  came  to  Uo 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  the  father  purchasing 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  unimproved 
land  on  section  35,  Mayfield  township,  where 
he  built  a  good  frame  house  and  at  once 
commenced  the  improvement  of  the  farm. 
He  there  died  May  i,  1877.  His  wife  died 
August  16,  1861.  Previous  to  his  death, 
however,  in  1867,  he  married  Livonia  Skeels, 
who  died  December  1,  1876.  To  Enos  and 
Celina  Whitmore  five  children  were  born — 
Louisa,  Howard,  Harrison,  Henry  O.  and 
Lavina.  Mrs.  W'hitniore  was  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Reed,  who  was  probably  a  native  of 
Vermont  and  who  died  there  about  1850  at 
the  age  of  si.xty-five  years.  In  politics  Enos 
Whitmore  was  first  a  \\'hig,  then  an  Aboli- 
tionist and  later  a  Republican.  While  in 
the  cast  he  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  During  his  life  time  he  assisted 
his  children  in  securing  farms  and  property. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  four 
years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  De  Kalb  county.  He  attended  a 
select  school  taught  by  Miss  Hapgood  and 
also  one  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Woodward.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began  teaching, 
but  in  the  following  spring,  February  26, 
1862,  in  Sycamore  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Esther  V.  Andrews,  born  in 
Glen  Falls,  Warren  county.  New  York, 
October  28,  1844,  and  a  daughter  of  Luman 
.Vndrews,  also  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
born  February  18,  1809,  and  who  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1864.  By  trade  he  was  a  car- 
penter and  machinist  and  followed  the  trade 
of  a  millwright  until  his  removal  to  De  Kalb 
county,  about  1848.  His  first  wife  died  be- 
fore his  removal  and  he  was  again  married. 
He  followed  his  traile  in  De  Kalb  city,  and 
while    in    Indiana    placing    machinery  in    a 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RFXORD. 


449 


mill  his  death  occurred.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Whitmore  was  Allen 
Andrews,  who  was  so  named  in  honor  of 
ICthan  Allen,  with  whom  his  father,  Chris- 
topher Allen,  fought  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Christopher  Andrews  was  born  in 
1749  and  died  in  1S13.  His  wife  was  born 
1753  and  died  in  1837.  He  was  a  licensed 
e.xhorter  of  the  Methodist  Episcoi)al  church 
and  traveled  all  through  the  Adirondack 
regions  with  his  gun,  hunting  and  exhorting. 
When  old  enough  his  son  Allen  accompan- 
ied him  and  also  became  an  e.xhorter. 
Christopher  Andrews  enlisted  with  Ethan 
Allen  in  1775,  when  twenty-six  years  old. 
He  married  Eleanor  Brown,  of  Saratoga 
county.  New  York.  Luman  Andrews  mar- 
ried Sophronia  Collins,  also  a  native  of 
Warren  count}'.  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Esther  (Fuller)  Collins,  the 
latter  from  near  Fort  Edward,  New  Y'ork, 
the  family  being  early  settlers  of  Warren 
county.  Joseph  Collins  died  when  about 
eighty-live  years  old  and  Esther  Collins 
when  ninety-three  years  old.  Luinan  and 
Sophronia  Andrews  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  only  four  of  whom  lived  past  in- 
fancy. There  are  only  two  now  living.  Mrs. 
Almira  Button,  of  New  York,  and  Mrs. 
Whitmore. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitmore  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  Wallace  \\'. ,  born 
in  Mayfield  township,  February  11,  1S63, 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  home  farm, 
and  after  attending  the  district  schools,  en- 
tered the  high  school  at  Sycamore,  and 
later  took  a  course  in  a  business  college  in 
Chicago.  He  married  Jessie  E.  Almy.  He 
was  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years. 
In  1890  he  became  deputy  county  clerk,  and 
has  since  lived  in  Sjxamore.  Cora  C.  grew 
to    womanhood,    and    after    attending    the 


Sycamore  schools,  entered  Cumnock's 
School  of  Oratory,  in  Chicago,  and  after  a 
two  years'  course  for  several  years  gave  pub- 
lic readings.  She  was  married  in  Xoveni- 
ber,  1890,  to  Professor  Clyde  W.  X'otaw,  a 
teacher  of  Greek  and  Biblical  research  in 
Northwestern  University.  They  have  one 
child,  Claire.  Just  prior  to  her  marriage. 
Mrs.  Votaw  taught  elocution  and  reading  in 
the  Princeton  High  School. 

Mr.  Whitmore  has  been  a  farmer  during 
his  entire  life.  For  eight  weeks  he  was  a 
traveling  salesman  for  the  EUwoods,  but 
the  comforts  of  home  svere  to  him  much 
greater  than  the  pleasures  of  the  road,  and 
he  therefore  resigned.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  and  for  several  \ears  was  super- 
visor in  MaN'field  township,  and  has  served 
in  other  minor  olTices.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  re- 
ligiously he  and  Mrs.  Whitmore  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Universalist   church. 


AX  7^  H.  THOMAS,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
V  V  grain,  coal  and  live  stock  business  at 
Clare  Station,  Mayfield  township,  first  came 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  1883.  He  is  a  native 
of  Iowa,  born  in  Dallas  county,  October  24, 
1858,  and  is  the  son  of  William  Thomas, 
born  in  Vernon,  Indiana,  about  1837.  The 
family  are  of  Welsh  descent,  Andrew 
Thomas,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  lo- 
cating in  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  at  a  very 
early  day.  In  1S54  William  Thomas  lo- 
cated in  Dallas  county,  Iowa,  and  there 
married  Elizabeth  Rhoades.  a  native  of 
Ohio,  but  reared  in  Dallas  county,  Iowa, 
and  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Rhoades,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Dallas  county.  After  his 
marriage  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Dallas  coun- 
ty, remained   there  for  some  years,   reared 


450 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


his  family,  and  later  sold  out  and  moved  to 
southwestern  Kansas,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  August,  1887.  His  wife  survives 
him  and  now  resides  with  a  son  in  De  Kalb 
county.  Of  their  five  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters who  grew  to  mature  years,  all  the  sons 
and  three  of  the  daughters  are  yet  living. 
In  order  of  birth  they  are  as  follows:  W. 
H.,  of  this  review;  B.  F.,  residing  in  Genoa, 
Illinois;  D.  M.,  a  farmer  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty; L.  T.,  also  a  farmer  of  De  Kalb  county; 
Cecil,  wife  of  Thomas  Baker,  of  Genoa; 
Celia,  wife  of  Robert  McPherson,  of  Clare; 
Fannie,  wife  of  Charles  Graham,  of  Syca- 
more; and  Charles,  of  Sycamore.  Effie 
grew  to  womanhood  and  married  .\rthur 
Brown,  of  Genoa,  but  is  now  deceased. 
After  the  father's  death,  the  mother  and 
children  all  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and 
all  are  now  residing  here. 

In  his  native  county,  our  subject  grew 
to  manhood,  and  in  his  boyhood  and  youth 
attended  the  common  schools  and  assisted 
his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home 
farm.  He  also  learned  the  mason's  trade 
in  his  youth,  at  which  he  worked  in  connec- 
tion with  farming,  after  arriving  at  mature 
years.  He  made  his  home  with  his  parents 
until  1883.  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  and  commenced  work  on  a  farm  by 
the  month.  On  the  19th  of  February,  1884, 
he  was  united  in  marriage,  in  De  Ivalb 
county,  with  Miss  Ida  H.  Peterson,  a  native 
of  Stockholm,  Sweden,  who  came  to  this 
country  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  Her 
parents,  who  were  also  natives  of  Sweden, 
both  died  in  their  native  land. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Thomas  rented  a  farm, 
which  he  operated  for  a  time,  and  later 
purchased  eighty  acres  north  of  Sycamore, 
which  he  continued  to  cultivate  until  1893, 
when  he  sold   and  purchased  a  farm  of  two 


hundred  and  forty-five  acres  on  section  21, 
Mayfield  township,  to  which  he  removed 
and  began  the  further  improvement  of  the 
place.  In  the  past  five  years  he  has  made 
some  very  substantial  improvements  in  the 
place,  tiling  much  of  the  land,  fencing,  and 
the  erection  of  graneries,  etc.  On  coming 
to  the  county  he  was  possessed  of  but  little 
means,  but  by  his  industry  and  thrift}'  habits 
is  now  in  comfortable  circumstances.  For 
several  years,  in  connection  with  general 
farming,  he  has  engaged  in  buying,  feeding 
and  shipping  stock.  In  the  spring  of  1898, 
he  added  grain  and  coal  to  his  line  of  busi- 
ness, and  is  meeting  with  good  success  in 
every  department  of  his  work. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  have  two  chil- 
dren, Irvin  H.  and  Esther  E.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican,  with  which  party  he  has 
been  identified  since  attaining  his  majority. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs,  attending  the  conventions  of  his 
party,  and  doing  all  he  can  to  advance  its 
interests.  In  him  the  public  school  has  a 
friend,  and  for  nine  years  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  being  presi- 
dent one  term,  and  clerk  two  terms.  He 
also  served  as  township  assessor  one  term. 
While  residing  in  De  Kalb  county  but  fifteen 
years,  his  active  business  life  has  brought 
him  in  contact  with  many  persons,  and  he 
is  universally  respected  wherever  known. 


JOHN  R.  CORSON,  who  resides  on  sec- 
cJ  tion  9,  Genoa  township,  is  a  native  of 
Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  in 
Hughsville  October  13.  1825.  He  is  the 
son  of  Peter  Corson,  Jr.,  a  native  of  Lycom- 
ing county,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1797, 
and  Margaret  (McCarthy;  Corson,  born  near 
Muncie  Creek,  in  the  same  county,  and    a 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


451 


daughter  of  Isaac  and  Martha  (Piggies) 
McCarthy,  who  were  of  the  Oiiaker  faith. 
Peter  Corson.  Jr.,  was  by  trade  a  black- 
smith and  followed  that  vocation  during  his 
entire  life.  He  was  the  father  of  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  second 
in  order  of  birth.  His  death  occurred  in 
1847  in  his  native  county.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Peter  Corson,  Sr. ,  was  by  trade 
a  shoemaker.      He  married  a  Miss   Dudder. 

John  R.  Corson  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  county,  where  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools,  attending  during 
the  winter  months.  Before  the  age  of  thir- 
teen he  had  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade 
in  his  father's  shop,  beginning  so  young  that 
he  had  to  stand  on  a  step  to  blow  the  bel- 
lows. At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  an  ex- 
pert horseshoer  and.  during  the  busy  sea- 
son, has  made  thirtv-two  horseshoes  and 
two  hundred  nails  in  a  night.  He  worked 
all  day  and  had  little  sleep  or  rest.  For  a 
number  of  years  the  familj-  moved  from 
place  to  place  and  he  accompanied  them. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  home  and 
went  to  Culpeper  county,  \'irginia.  where 
he  remained  three  months  and  then  opened 
a  shop  at  Tivola.  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  six  years.  In  the  fall  of  1855  he 
came  to  Illinois,  and  after  spending  a  few 
months  in  Kane  count}',  in  the  spring  of 
1856  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county  and 
bought  his  present  farm,  at  which  time  one 
could  not  have  cut  a  riding  whip  on  the  en- 
tire place,  it  all  being  covered  with  waving 
prairie  grass. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1849,  in  Mun- 
cie,  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Corson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  M.  Craft,  a  native 
of  Muncie,  born  January  8,  183 1,  and  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Craft,  a  native  of  the 
same  county,  who  married   Margaret   Hart- 


man,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Spring)  Hartman.  from  near  Reading. 
Berks  county.  Pennsylvania.  Samuel  Craft 
was  the  son  of  William  Craft,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  who  married  Sarah  Alward. 
The}'  became  the  parents  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters are  n(jw  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cor- 
son si.\  children  have  been  born,  the  first 
dying  in  infancy  unnamed.  (2)  Clara  M. 
grew  to  womanhood  and  May  15.  1890, 
married  David  Piper,  born  near  Rutland. 
\'ermont.  November  18,  1833.  (3)  Caro- 
line C.  married  Robert  M.  Williams  and 
now  lives  in  Bedford,  Iowa,  and  the\'  have 
six  children,  Jennie  E.,  Bertha  M.,  Harry 
E.,  Earl.  Sadie  and  Winifred.  (4)  Mari- 
etta married  Albert  Williams,  now  residing 
in  Bedford,  Iowa,  and  they  have  had  five 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  GraciaL., 
Roy  D.,  Dell  and  Carrie  L.  Sarah  E.  is  de- 
ceased. (5)  Charles  is  engaged  in  farming 
in  McHenry  count)',  Illinois.  He  married 
Caddie  Patterson  and  they  have  had  three 
children,  two  living,  Maggie  May  and  Guyla 
P.  Myrtie  B.  is  deceased.  (6)  Milton  J. 
married  Emma  J.  Patterson  and  they  reside 
on  the  home  farm.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren, Zada  B.,  John  D.,  George  S.  and 
Maynard  D. 

From  raw  prairie  land,  Mr.  Corson  de- 
veloped a  fine  farm  with  groves  and  orchards, 
barns  and  outbuildings,  and  all  of  a  substan- 
tial character.  He  built  a  shop  on  his 
place,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  connection 
with  farming,  until  1886,  when  he  aban- 
doned his  trade,  but  still  continued  farming 
until  1890,  since  which  time  his  son  has 
carried  on  the  farm,  the  shop  being  closed 
except  for  occasional  repair  work.  Politic- 
ally he  is  independent,  but  was  formerly  a 
Democrat.      For  many  years   he  served  as 


452 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


school  director,  and  was  offered  other  town- 
ship offices,  but  would  never  accept.  For 
nineteen  years  a  post  office  was  retained  at 
his  residence,  Mrs.  Corson  acting  as  post- 
mistress. Religiously  both  are  members  of 
the  Ney  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


HON.  WESTEL  W.  SEDGWICK,  pres- 
ident of  the  Sedgwick  Bank,  of  Sand- 
wich, Illinois,  was  born  in  Oneida  county. 
New  York,  June  7,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of 
Dr.  Samuel  and  Ruhama  P.  (Knight)  Sedg- 
wick, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
Y(jrk.  Samuel  Sedgwick  was  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  and  attended  the  medical 
school  of  Fairfield  College,  Fairfield,  New 
York,  which  was  presided  over  by  Professor 
Willoughby,  after  whom  our  subject  is 
named.  Dr.  Samuel  Sedgwick  had  two 
brothers  who  were  also  practicing  physicians. 
Dr.  Elijah  Sedgwick  came  west,  locating  in 
Elgin,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  practice  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
went  into  other  business.  Dr.  Parker  Sedg- 
wick located  at  Bloomingdale,  Du  Page 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  built  up  a  large 
practice,  and  was  recognized  among  the  best 
practitioners  of  his  day  and  this  part  of  the 
state. 

Dr.  Samuel  Sedgwick,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  commenced  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Black  Creek,  New  York,  from 
which  place  in  1837  he  removed  to  Hart- 
ford, Licking  county,  Ohio,  where  he  lived 
and  engaged  in  practice  for  three  years, 
then  moved  to  East  Union,  Coshocton 
county,  the  same  state,  and  was  there  four 
years  in  practice,  during  which  time  he 
served  as  postmaster  of  the  village  for  two 
years  under  President  Tyler.  He  then 
moved  to  Little  Rock,  Kendall  count}',   Illi- 


nois, where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death  about  1841,  at  the  age  of  forty-five 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  was  much  interested  in 
religious  work.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  years,  dying  in  Sandwich  when  eighty- 
three  years  old.  In  early  life  she  united 
with  the  Congregational  church,  and  was  a 
devout  member  of  that  body  for  many 
years,  but  later  in  life,  with  her  daughter, 
united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Sandwich, 
in  which  faith  she  passed  to  her  reward. 
When  Dr.  Samuel  Sedgwick  located  at  Lit- 
tle Rock,  it  was  the  most  important  town 
west  of  Aurora  for  some  years.  His  prac- 
tice extended  a  radius  of  twenty-five  miles 
around  Little  Rock.  In  his  family  were 
seven  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was 
the  eldest.  The  others  were  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  Oliver  S.  Hendee,  of  Sandwich; 
Sarah  A.,  wife  of  William  Brewer,  residing 
in  the  west;  Louisa  J.,  who  married  James 
H.  Lay,  but  is  now  deceased;  Maria,  who 
died  in  Sandwich,  a  single  lady;  James  H., 
a  prominent  attorney  of  Peoria,  Illinois;  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
the  various  towns  where  his  father  resided. 
In  his  youth  he  read  medicine  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father,  and  later  with 
his  uncle  Parker,  at  Bloomingdale,  Illinois. 
Entering  Rush  Medical  College,  at  Chi- 
cago, he  pursued  the  course  and  was  grad- 
uated from  that  institution  in  the  class  of 
1848.  Before  graduating,  however,  he  en- 
gaged in  practice  with  his  father,  and  was 
with  him  one  year  before  the  latter's  death. 
That  year  was  known  as  the  sickly  season, 
with  fever  and  ague,  typhoid  and  other 
fevers  being  quite  prevalent.  The  father 
and  son  had  all  they  could  possibly  do. 
The  winter   following  the  father  took  down 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


^. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


455 


with  typhoi(1  fever,  from  which  he  never 
recovered.  Our  subject  continued  and  re- 
tained both  his  own  and  his  fathers  prac- 
tice. He  continued  to  follow  his  profes- 
sion until  1857,  at  Little  Rock,  and  then 
moved  to  Sandwich,  where  he  practied  for 
a  short  time,  then  read  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  about  1S62.  For  several 
jears  he  engaged  in  active  practice  of  that 
profession  and  yet  gives  attention  to  office 
practice,  but  does  not  engage  in  the  trial  of 
causes  owing  to  ill  health. 

In  1884  Mr.  Sedgwick  began  the  bank- 
ing business,  purchasing  the  private  bank  of 
Culver  Brothers.  While  the  bank  is  a 
private  institution,  with  no  stated  capital, 
our  subject  has  seventy-five  thousand  dol- 
lars invested  in  the  business.  At  present 
he  is  the  president  of  the  concern,  with  S. 
P.  Sedgwick,  as  cashier,  and  C.  F.  Sedg- 
wick, assistant  cashier.  The  bank  has  the 
confidence  of  the  people  of  Sandwich,  and 
does  a  safe  and  reliable  business  with  a  good 
line  of  deposits. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1848,  his  twenty- 
first  birthday.  Dr.  Sedgwick  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Toombs, 
daughter  of  William  Toombs,  a  resident  of 
Little  Rock,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  from  Michigan  and  located  in  Little 
Rock  about  1S46.  By  this  union  nine  chil- 
dren were  born,  of  whom  three  died  in 
early  childhood.  The  others  are:  .\gnes, 
at  home;  Caroline  Gertrude,  wife  of  Web- 
ster M.  Dyas,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Clair,  who  with  his  mother  resides  in  De- 
troit, Michigan;  S.  P.,  cashier  of  the  Sedg- 
wick Bank,  who  married  Bessie  Robertson, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children — Ray  H., 
Westel  W.  and  Marjorie;  Harvey,  who  died 
at  the  age   of    fifteen    years;    Charles  F., 

22 


assistant  cashier  of  the  Sedgwick  Bank, 
who  married  Anna  Patterson,  by  whom  he 
has  one  child  —  Marie;  and  Jennie  May, 
wife  of  Eugene  Hill,  residing  in  Chicago. 
The  mother,  who  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Sandwich  Presbyterian  church,  died 
in  1895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
The  Doctor  was  again  married  February 
22,  189S,  to  ^tiss  Vina  Scudder,  whose  par- 
ents died  before  her  recollection. 

Dr.  Sedgwick  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  being  an  elder  in  the 
church  at  Sandwich.  In  politics  he  has 
usually  voted  the  Republican  ticket,  but  is 
inclined  to  vote  independently.  In  1862 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature 
and  served  one  term.  In  1869  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con- 
vention, which  formed  the  present  constitu- 
tion, which  was  adopted  in  1870.  When 
Sandwich  was  incorporated  as  a  city  he  was 
elect  d  its  first  mayor  and  served  several 
terms.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
sound  and  reliable  business  men  of  De  Kalb 
county,  and  his  many  admirable  qualities 
have  tended  to  make  him  a  favorite  with 
all  classes.  .As  a  public  man  he  has  won 
an  enviable  reputation,  and  as  a  private 
citizen  he  is  greatly  esteemed,  having  the 
confidence  of  the  entire  community. 


DENNIS  McGIRR,  who  resides  upon  a 
fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixtj' 
acres  of  well  improved  land  on  section  26, 
and  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
section  25,  Alton  township,  and  which  com- 
prises a  part  of  the  old  McGirr  homestead, 
is  a  native  of  that  township,  born  March  2, 
1855,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Powers)  McGirr,  of  whom  further  mention 
is  made  in  the  sketch  of  John  McGirr,  found 


456 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


elsewhere  in  this  work.  In  his  native  town- 
ship he  grew  to  manhood,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools.  From  the 
time  old  enough  to  use  the  hoe  and  handle 
the  plow,  he  has  done  his  full  share  of  farm 
work.  He  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  and  practical  farmers  of 
the  township.  He  was  married  November 
26,  1 891,  to  Miss  Sarah  Gallagher,  a  native 
of  Pierce  township,  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  Gallagher,  natives  of 
Ireland.  Four  children  have  been  born  of 
this  union,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  living  are  Mary  and  Emmet  F. 

Religiously  Mr.  McGirr  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church, 
and  believe  strongly  in  its  teachings  and  are 
devoted  to  the  work  set  before  them.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  in  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  For  four  years  he  has  served 
acceptably  as  assessor  of  the  township, doing 
his  best  in  the  assessment  of  all  property, 
both  real  and  personal,  to  render  exact 
justice  to  all  alike. 


RICHARD  F.  JONES,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 18,  Mayfield  township,  is  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  farmers  of  De  Kalb 
county,  of  which  he  has  been  a  resident 
since  June,  1880.  He  is  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, born  in  county  Wicklow,  some  forty- 
eight  years  ago.  In  his  native  county  he 
grew  to  manhood,  and  received  a  good 
common  school  education.  His  boyhood 
and  youth  were  spent  on  the  farm,  and  he 
grew  up  a  practical  farmer,  which  is  evi- 
denced by  the  success  attending  him  later  in 
life.  His  native  land  did  not  give  him  the 
opportunities  that  he  desired  for  advance- 
ment in  life,  and  he  therefore  determined 


to  come  to  the  United  States.  In  1880,  he 
took  ship  at  Liverpool  for  New  York,  and 
came  direct  by  way  of  Chicago  to  Syca- 
more, and  commenced  work  on  the  farm  by 
the  month  in  Mayfield  township,  a  farm  ad- 
joining the  one  where  he  now  resides.  The 
ne.xt  year  he  rented  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres,  which  he  operated  one  year,  and 
then  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-four  acres,  on  which  he  located,  and 
there  resided  for  several  years.  After 
making  some  permanent  improvements  on 
the  place,  he  sold  it  at  a  nice  advance.  He 
then  rented  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
comprising  three  hundred  and  twenty-six 
acres.  He  also  rented  other  lands,  and  is 
one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  Mayfield  town- 
ship. 

In  addition  to  general  farming,  Mr. 
Jones  engages  in  breeding  and  feeding  stock 
for  the  general  market.  He  commenced  in  a 
small  wa\',  and  increased  the  stock  from 
year  to  year,  and  now  feeds  about  two  hun- 
dred head  of  hogs  and  about  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the 
dairy  business,  milking  from  forty  to  fifty 
cows,  being  one  of  the  largest  milk  pro- 
ducers in  the  township.  In  the  spring  of 
1898  he  sold  twenty-three  head  of  yearlings 
that  averaged  eleven  hundred  and  eighteen 
pounds,  a  record  hard  to  beat  in  the  state. 
While  residing  on  his  own  farm,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  breeding  and  dealing  in  Poland- 
China  hogs,  and  was  known  as  a  breeder  of 
pure-blooded  stock,  which  he  shipped  o\er 
the  state  and  as  far  west  as  Oregon.  He 
has  also  raised  some  pure-grade  Norman 
horses. 

In  1S80,  just  prior  to  leaving  his  native 
land,  Mr.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Catherine  Traynor,  a  native  of 
Ireland,    and    their    wedding   journey    was 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


457 


their  trip  across  the  water  to  their  IIHnois 
home.  This  wife  died  in  De  Kalb  county 
in  1885,  leaving  three  daughters.  Flora, 
Katie  and  Maude,  all  students  of  the  home 
school.  In  1887,  Mr.  Jones  returned  to 
Ireland,  and  after  spending  a  few  months 
in  visiting  friends,  was  united  in  marrige 
with  Miss  Eliza  Piggott,  also  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  with  his  bride  returned  to  his 
western  home.  By  this  union  there  are  six 
children,  Lillie.  Alice,  William,  Eva,  Fred- 
die and  Hazel. 

Politically  Mr.  Jones  is  a  Republican, 
and  secured  his  naturalization  papers  in 
time  to  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
General  Harrison  in  188S.  He  has  never 
held  office,  nor  has  he  ever  desired  official 
honors.  He  and  his  wife  were  reared  in 
the  Episcopal  faith,  and  are  members  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  While  residing  in 
the  new  world  but  a  comparatively  short 
time,  Mr.  Jones  has  been  very  active  and  is 
well  known  in  Sycamore,  and  the  northern 
half  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  has  always 
maintained  the  respect  and  good  will  of 
those  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact. 


GEORGE  W.  NESBITT,  M.  D.,was  for 
years  one  of  the  most  popular  physi- 
cians and  surgeons  residing  in  Sycamore,  or 
in  the  entire  count)'.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  in  Attica,  August  20,  1837, 
and  was  a  son  of  Henry  and  Eleanor  (Smyth) 
Nesbitt.  The  former  a  native  of  county 
Cavan,  Ulster,  Ireland,  born  in  1803,  and 
the  latter  of  Washington  county,  New  York, 
born  in  the  town  of  Argyle,  in  1802. 
Her  father  was  of  Scottish  birth,  while 
her  mother  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  was  probably  of  German  origin.      After 


his  marriage,  Henry  Nesbitt  settled  in  At- 
tica, where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
there  died  in  June,  1883.  His  wife  died  in 
Wyoming  county,  New  York,  in  1862. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  was  fourth  in  order  of 
birth. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  subject 
was  spent  upon  the  farm,  and  his  primary 
education  was  obtained  in  neighboring 
schools.  He  later  entered  the  Genesee 
and  Wyoming  Seminary,  at  Ale.xandria, 
Genesee  county.  New  York,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  with  honors.  He 
then  came  west,  and  at  Genoa,  Illinois, 
spent  one  winter  engaged  in  teaching.  In 
the  following  spring,  he  traveled  quite  ex- 
tensively, and  during  the  summer  was  with 
a  government  survejing  party  on  the  Red 
River  of  the  North,  operating  principally  in 
Minnesota.  In  the  winter  following  he 
taught  school  in  Boone  county,  Illinois,  aft- 
er which  he  went  to  Arkansas,  and  other 
states,  and  pursued  the  same  vocation.  It 
was  at  first  his  design  to  engage  in  the  legal 
profession,  and  to  that  end  he  commenced 
reading  law  in  the  office  and  under  the  in- 
struction of  Hon.  Charles  Kellum,  of  Syc- 
amore, but  in  i860,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine,  in  the  office  of  Dr.  H. 
H.  Rice,  of  Randolph  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  nearly  a  year,  and  then 
returned  to  Alexandria,  New  York,  and 
continued  his  studies  under  the  supervision 
of  Dr.  H.  B.  Miller.  Later  he  attended 
lectures  at  the  Buffalo  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  February  21, 
1865.  He  then  entered  into  business  with 
Dr.  G.  W.  McCray,  of  Buffalo,  New  York, 
in  the  wholesale  and  retail  drug  trade,  and  at 
the  same  time  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession. 


458 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


In  the  fall  of  1866  he  sold  his  interest  in 
the  drug  business  and  began  a  prospecting 
tour  with  a  view  of  securing  a  permanent 
location.  By  lake  and  canal  he  went  to 
Pittsburg,  thence  by  river  to  St.  Louis,  and 
then  through  various  states  of  the  South, 
remaining  a  few  days  or  weeks  at  a  place. 
Returning  to  St.  Louis,  he  traveled  on  horse- 
back through  Illinois,  finally  reaching  Syca- 
more, where  he  wisely  concluded  to  remain. 
He  at  once  opened  an  office,  and  soon  es- 
tablished a  reputation  as  a  physician  and 
surgeon  second  to  none  in  northern  Illinois. 
Shortly  after  locating  in  Sycamore,  he  was 
in  front  of  Waterman's  store  when  a  box  of 
soldiers'  clothes  was  opened.  The  war  hav- 
ing closed  a  large  quantity  of  army  clothing 
was  thrown  upon  the  market,  and  one  case 
had  been  purchased  by  Sycamore  dealers. 
In  a  spirit  of  fun  Dr.  Nesbitt  mounted  the 
box,  and  being  a  fluent  speaker,  delivered  a 
patriotic  address,  and  then  began  to  auction 
off  one  suit  of  the  clothes.  He  was  sur- 
prisingly successful,  and  soon  sold  the  entire 
shipment,  the  unexpected  result  of  a  joke. 
He  was  then  engaged  by  the  firm  to  sell 
elsewhere,  and  was  in  partnership  with  them 
in  this  branch  of  business  for  about  six 
months,  as  long  as  the  supply  lasted.  He 
did  a  thriving  business,  and  declared  that 
he  made  money  faster  than  at  any  period  of 
his  life. 

In  addition  to  his  medical  practice.  Dr. 
Nesbitt  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  fine 
stock,  and  at  one  time  had  a  fine  string  of 
thoroughbreds,  but  foreseeing  a  falling  off  in 
demand  and  price  of  stock,  sold  a  portion 
and  traded  the  balance  for  twelve  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Kansas.  He  named  his 
ranch  Bally  Haise,  in  honor  of  his  father's 
birth  place  in  Ireland. 

On  the  23rd  of  June,  1864,  at  Buffalo, 


New  York,  Dr.  Nesbitt  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  H.  Davis,  a  native  of 
Chippewa,  Canada,  and  by  this  union  three 
children  were  born,  one  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  living  are  George  W.,  Jr.,  and 
John  B.  The  former  was  born  March  13, 
1869,  in  Sycamore,  and  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  city,  attending  its  public 
schools  and  graduating  from  the  high  school. 
Reading  medicine  under  the  instruction  of 
his  father,  he  later  attended  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
April  22,  1892.  He  immediately  began 
practice  with  his  father,  and  succeeded  to 
the  practice  after  his  father's  death.  He 
was  married  August  16,  1894,  to  Miss  Cora 
\Miittemore,  a  native  of  Sycamore,  and  a 
daughter  of  Captain  H.  C.  Whittemore, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  or- 
der, and  in  jiolitics  is  thoroughly  independ- 
ent. He  is  now  examiner  for  the  Equitable, 
New  York  Mutual  and  New  York  I^ife  Insur- 
ance Companies.  As  a  physician  he  stands 
high  in  the  estimation  of  the  people,  and  re- 
tains the  practice  of  his  lamented  father. 
John  B.  Nesbitt  was  born  in  Sycamore, 
January  31,  1873,  and  after  receiving  his 
education  in  the  Sycamore  schools,  attended 
the  Chicago  Medical  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  June,  1897.  After  his 
graduation  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  and  the  two  have  now  an  extensive 
practice.  In  politics  he  is  also  independent. 
Dr.  Nesbitt  was  well  read  in  medical  lit- 
erature, and  as  a  lecturer  and  contributor 
to  the  medical  press,  had  an  excellent  repu- 
tation. He  was  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society,  and  also  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  in  both  of 
which  he  took  an  active  part,  contributing 
to  them  many  valuable  papers.      For  two 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


459 


years  he  served  as  vice-president  of  the 
State  Medical  Society.  Fraternally  he  was 
a  Mason,  and  in  the  work  of  the  order  took 
an  especial  interest.  His  death  occurred  at 
his  late  home  in  Sycamore,  April  29,  1894. 
Thus  passed  away  a  well  beloved  physician, 
whose  many  years  of  faithful  toil  in  his  pro- 
fession made  his  name  a  household  word 
throughout  De  Kalb  county  and  northern 
Illinois.  His  influence  and  efforts  were  not 
confined  to  professional  lines  only,  for  in 
all  the  varied  activities  of  our  common  life 
he  took  a  helpful  part,  as  a  loyal  citizen, 
devoting  his  abilities  to  the  cause  of  prog- 
ress. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
ma\or  of  Sycamore.  Dr.  Nesbitt  was  a 
man  whose  death  was  felt  as  a  loss  among 
all  classes  as  well  as  to  his  devoted  wife 
and  sons. 


CHARLES  P.  BENSON,  of  South  Grove 
township,  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
the  owner  of  three  hundred  acres  of  arable 
land,  which  he  keeps  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  He  is  a  native  of  Ogle  county, 
Illinois,  born  October  12,  1859,  and  is  the 
son  of  Robert  P.  and  Mary  (Wesley)  Ben- 
son, the  former  a  nati\e  of  Cumberland 
county,  England,  ai  d  the  latter  of  Hanover, 
Germany.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Charles  P.,  John  \V.  and  Lena  M. 
In  1826,  Robert  Benson  left  his  native 
land,  crossed  the  ocean,  and  for  thirteen 
years  made  his  home  in  Canada,  coming 
from  that  country  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  locating  in  Sycamore.  He  later 
engaged  in  railroad  building  as  a  contractor 
on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway. 
Subsequently  he  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  government  land  in 
Ogle    county,    Illinois,  and    at    once    com- 


menced its  improvement.  He  was  an  in- 
dustrious man  and  a  practical  farmer,  and 
was  fairly  successful  in  life.  He  became 
quite  prominent  in  his  township,  and  served 
in  various  local  offices.  On  the  Ogle  coimty 
farm  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
dying  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years. 

On  the  farm  in  Ogle  county,  our  subject 
grew  to  manhood,  and  after  obtaining  his 
primary  education  in  the  district  schools, 
spent  some  eighteen  months  in  Wheaton 
College,  thus  giving  him  a  good  practical 
education.  Reared  to  farm  life,  he  has  con- 
tinued that  occupation  up  to  the  present 
time.  On  the  15th  of  September,  1881,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  M. 
Crozier,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  and 
by  this  union  three  children  have  been  born. 
Earl  W.,  Robert  I.  and  Orva  M. 

In  politics  Mr.  Benson  is  independent, 
voting  for  the  man  he  thinks  best  qualified 
to  fill  the  office.  He  has  not  sought  office 
for  himself  and  cares  for  none.  He  was 
however  elected  road  commissioner  in  1893, 
for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  re-elected  in 
1896.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  and  also 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe. 
As  a  farmer  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best  in  South  Grove  township,  and  as  a 
citizen  he  is  highl}-  esteemed. 


AL\  A  V.  POST,  who  for  a  period  of 
nearly  forty  years  has  been  one  of  the 
active  enterprising  farmers  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, but  who,  since  1887,  has  been  living  a 
retired  life  in  the  village  of  Shabbona,  is 
numbered  among  the  settlers  of  1851.  He 
was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county.  New 
York,    April    20,    1826.      His   father,    John 


460 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Post,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  who,  when 
a  young  man,  moved  to  New  York,  and  lo- 
cated in  St;  Lawrence  county,  where  he 
married  Jerusha  Fuller,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Fuller.  He  lived  but  a  few  years  after  mar- 
riage, dying  in  1828.  His  widow,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  some  years  later 
married  David  Hamilton,  who  subsequently 
removed  to  Illinois,  becoming  a  pioneer 
settler  of  De  Kalb  county. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early  age.  He 
went  to  work  on  a  farm  for  a  very  small 
compensation,  working  during  the  summer 
months  and  attending  the  common  schools 
during  the  winter  months.  He  saved  his 
earnings  and  was  thus  enabled  to  attend  a 
seminary,  where,  by  diligent  study,  he  se- 
cured a  fair  education  and  taught  his  first 
school  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  worked  on  the  farm  during  the  spring 
and  summer  months,  attended  the  seminary 
in  the  fall  and  engaged  in  teachmg  during 
the  winter  months.  Believing  he  could  bet- 
ter himself  he  came  west,  landing  in  Chi- 
cago, April  10,  1851,  but  did  not  remain  in 
the  city,  going  from  there  to  Sugar  Grove 
township,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
worked  on  a  farm  the  summer  following.  In 
the  fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  secured  the  school  at  l-'ritchard's 
Grove,  which  he  taught  during  the  winter 
of  185  1-2.  In  the  spring  of  1852  he  com- 
menced teaching  at  Shabbona  Grove,  con- 
tinuing until  the  spring  of  1853,  or  for  a 
term  of  fourteen  months;  he  then  engaged 
in  carpentering  work,  and  followed  that 
trade  for  several  years  during  the  summer 
months,  teaching  in  the  winter.  He  taught 
twenty-two  terms  of  school,  and  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  teachers  in  De  Kalb 
county. 


In  the  fall  of  1859  Mr.  Post  rented  a 
farm  in  Lee  county,  and  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  there  spent  some  six 
years.  In  1865  he  purchased  his  first  piece 
of  land,  a  place  of  ninety  acres,  on  which 
was  a  small  house  and  barn,  and  a  few  acres 
placed  under  the  plow.  Locating  on  that 
farm  he  began  its  further  improvement,  and 
from  time  to  time  purchased  more  land,  and 
now  owns  a  good  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty-four  acres,  lying  about  three  miles  from 
the  village  of  Shabbona.  After  living 
thereon  for  twenty-two  years  he  removed 
to  the  village.  The  farm  is  under  the  very 
best  improvements,  with  two  miles  of  neat 
and  well-trimmed  hedge  fence  and  eighteen 
hundred  rods  of  tiling.  Commencing  life 
in  limited  circumstances,  he  has  succeeded 
reasonably  well,  and  in  addition  to  his  farm 
has  a  good  dwelling  house  and  a  number  of 
lots  in  the  village  of  Shabbona,  together 
with  considerable  personal  property. 

Mr.  Post  was  united  in  marriage  in  Kane 
county,  Illinois,  April  26,  1854,  to  Miss 
Marietta  Hoselton,  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  in  Jefferson  county,  and  daughter  of 
Hanford  and  Dorcas  (Perry)  Hoselton,  also 
natives  of  New  York.  She  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  pre\ious 
to  her  marriage  was  engaged  in  teaching  in 
Ivane  county.  There  are  five  children  by 
this  union.  Ida  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  J. 
Chandler,  of  Plymouth  county,  Iowa. 
Emery  married  and  engaged  in  farming  in 
Plymouth  county,  Iowa.  Elma  D.  is  the 
wife  of  B.  L.  Greenfield,  a  substantial  farm- 
er of  Shabbona  township,  now  operating 
the  Post  homestead.  Mabel  is  the  wife  of 
William  Kennedy,  also  a  substantial  farmer 
of  Shabbona  township.  Eddie  died  in  early 
childhood. 

Mr.  Post  cast  his  first  presidential  vote, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


461 


in  1848,  for  General  Zachary  Taylor,  and 
was  identified  with  the  Whig  party  until  its 
dissolution,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
an  earnest  and  enthusiastic  Republican. 
An  old  teacher,  it  may  naturally  be  sur- 
mised that  he  is  a  friend  of  education. 
While  residing  in  Lee  County  he  ser\ed  as 
township  trustee  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  school  board  for  many  Nears.  On 
his  arrival  in  De  Kalb  county  he  found 
much  of  the  county  in  its  native  state  and 
has  chased  wolves  over  the  prairies.  He 
has  witnessed  cities  and  villages  spring  up, 
and  in  the  development  of  the  country 
has  done  his  full  share.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Shabbona  Congrega- 
tional church,  in  the  work  of  which  they 
take  special  interest. 


LORENZO  ROBINSON,  a  farmer  resid- 
ing on  section  4,  Genoa  township,  was 
born  near  Barrington,  Cook  county,  Illinois, 
March  9,  1S53,  and  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  attending  the  district  schools 
until  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  continued 
working  for  his  parents  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Genoa  town- 
ship and  worked  for  a  time  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides.  He  was  married 
July  8,  1878,  to  Mrs.  Priscilla  Corson, 
widow  of  Daniel  B.  Corson.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  continued  to  operate  the  farm  until 
1886,  when  he  moved  to  Hand  county. 
South  Dakota,  where  he  resided  until  1890 
and  then  returned  to  the  farm  in  Genoa 
township,  where  he  has  since  continued  to 
reside.  He  is  a  son  of  Coleman  Robinson, 
born  in  New  York  in  1829,  and  who  died  in 
1889  in  the  village  of  Hampshire,  Kane 
county,  Illinois.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
McGilvery,  who  died  in  1875  at  the  age  of 


forty  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  si.\  of  whom  are  yet  living. 
In  politics  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Republican 
and  has  served  as  road  commissioner  and 
school  director.  Religiously  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Mrs.  Priscilla  Robinson  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin township,  L)'coming  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  5,  1836,  and  was  one  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children  born  to  Samuel 
and  Margaret  (Hartman)  Craft,  from  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  the  latter  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Margaret  (Spring)  Hartman. 
Samuel  Craft  was  born  about  1808  and  died 
in  Pennsylvania  when  about  seventy-eight 
years  old.  By  trade  he  was  a  miller.  The 
family  originally  came  from  Connecticut, 
but  located  in  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  William  Craft, 
married  Sarah  Alward.  By  trade  he  was  a 
miller.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  the 
Indians  planned  a  raid  upon  the  settlement 
at  Wyoming,  which  was  later  carried  out, 
resulting  in  the  Wyoming  massacre.  By  a 
friendly  Indian,  who  came  to  him  at  his 
mill,  William  Craft  was  warned  of  the  in- 
tended raid  and  so  escaped  with  his  family 
to  the  fort. 

Priscilla  Craft  was  first  married  in  Che- 
nango township,  I^ycoming  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. April  20,  1854,  to  Daniel  I^.  Corson, 
born  March  15,  1830,  and  who  died  January 
22,  1876.  He  was  the  son  o(  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Buck)  Corson,  the  latter  being  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Buck.  John  Corson  was 
a  son  of  Peter  Corson,  Sr.  By  trade  Dan- 
iel B.  Corson  was  a  blacksmith,  learning 
the  same  from  his  brother-in-law,  Joseph 
Green.  For  a  time  he  worked  with  his 
cousin,  John  R.  Corson,  but  on  coming  to 
Illinois  he  engaged  exclusively  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits. 


462 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Robinson  be- 
came the  mother  of  eight  children,  (i) 
Arloa  married  Scott  Waite,  of  Pingree 
Grove,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Nellie  and  Frank.  The  for- 
mer is  now  the  wife  of  Harry  Pierce,  of 
Des  Moines,  Iowa.  (2)  Norman  Edgar  and 
(3)  Estella  were  buried  in  one  grave,  the 
former  dying  when  three  N'ears  of  age  and 
the  latter  when  four  months  old.  (4)  Liz- 
zie died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  (5)  Cor- 
winC.  lives  in  Bedford,  Iowa.  He  married 
Coral  Walker.  (6)  George  married  Myra 
Shook,  and  with  their  two  children,  Mabel 
E.  and  Beulah  C,  they  reside  in  McHenrj- 
county.  (7)  Joseph  L.  married  Emma 
Reid,  and  they  have  one  son,  Vernon  J. 
Their  home  is  in  McHenry  county.  (8) 
Nellie  I.  died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  By 
her  second  union  Mrs.  Robinson  had  one 
daughter,  Mary  J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
three  years.  Religiously  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rob- 
inson are  members  of  the  Ney  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


JOHN  BETZ.  an  active  business  man  of 
Somonauk,  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade, 
and  also  in  the  sale  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments, wagons,  carriages,  etc.,  was  born  in 
Erdbach,  Nassau,  Germany,  Februarx'  23, 
I  83  I,  and  is  the  son  of  Jost  Henry  and  .\nna 
Margaritta  (W'inkeli  Betz.  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Germany,  who  there  lived 
and  died,  the  former  in  1845,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years,  and  the  latter  in  1854,  also 
aged  fifty-two  years.  By  trade  the  father 
was  a  blacksmith  and  also  followed  farming. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church, 
of  which  body  his  wife  was  also  a  member. 
They  were  very  good  people,  and  inherited 
many  excellent  traits  of  character  from  their 


ancestors.  They  were  noted  for  their  piety 
and  integrity,  and  had  a  host  of  friends.  Of 
their  family  of  seven  children,  our  subject 
was  third  in  order  of  birth.  The  others 
were  Carl  Henry,  who  never  came  to  Amer- 
ica, but  who  died  in  Bicken,  Germany,  his 
death  resulting  from  an  accident  by  his  fall- 
ing from  a  fruit  tree;  Wilhelmina,  who 
married  Henry  Nas,  but  is  now  deceased; 
Christina,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years;  Margaret,  who  came  with  our  subject 
to  America,  married  William  Heun,  and 
now  resides  in  Iowa;  John  Henr}',  living  in 
the  old  country,  with  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  one,  Adolph,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1889,  and  now  makes  his 
home  with  our  subject,  and  assists  in  his 
business;  and  August,  who  died  with  con- 
sumption, when  about  twenty  years  old. 

John  Betz,  our  subject,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  land,  and 
is  now  a  well  informed  man,  having  been  a 
student  during  his  entire  life.  He  never 
learned  any  trade,  as  is  common  with  his 
fellow  countrymen,  but  worked  on  the  farm 
in  his  youth.  His  father  dying  when  he  was 
but  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  managed  the 
farm  until  his  mother's  death,  when  the 
home  place  was  sold.  In  the  spring  of 
1854,  he  emigrated  to  America,  embarking 
in  a  sailing  vessel  at  Antwerp,  and  being 
forty-two  days  on  the  water.  He  had  fairly 
good  sailing,  and  a  pretty  good  time  on  the 
way,  arriving  in  New  York  City,  August  16, 
1854.  For  five  weeks  he  remained  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York,  partly  with  relatives, 
and  then  came  west  to  Chicago,  landing 
there  with  ten  shillings  in  his  pockets,  and 
all  America  before  him.  Securing  employ- 
ment in  a  blind,  door  and  sash  factory,  he 
worked  there  about  six  weeks,  when  he 
slipped  from  a  board,  and  lit  with  his  right 


JOHN   BETZ. 


MRS.  JOHN   BETZ. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


467 


foot  in  boilinj^j  water,  scalding  the  foot  and 
ankle  in  a  painful  way,  and  which  laid  him 
up  for  ten  weeks.  When  well  enough  he 
came  to  Somonauk  with  a  friend,  who  con- 
tributed a  part  of  his  fare.  Peter  Schaff- 
nian  was  the  friend,  and  a  good  friend  he 
was  indeed. 

Arriving  in  Somonauk  he  had  not  a  cent 
and  for  one  year  could  do  little  or  nothing, 
being  sick  the  greater  portion  of  the  time. 
But  he  worked  as  best  he  could,  a  part  of 
the  time  for  brick  and  stone  masons  and  on 
the  farm  of  Joseph  Dickson,  of  Sandwich, 
and  also  for  another  farmer  north  of  Somo- 
nauk. At  this  time  a  farm  in  the  neighbor- 
hood was  offered  for  sale,  its  owner  living 
in  Chicago.  John  Lewis,  the  farmer  for 
whom  our  subject  was  then  working,  sent 
him  to  Chicago  to  bu\-  the  farm,  which  was 
to  be  divided  between  them.  On  going  to 
the  city  he  received  an  offer  from  Bowen 
Brothers,  wholesale  dry-goods  dealers,  as  a 
clerk,  which  position  he  accepted  and  so  let 
the  farm  go.  The  farm  is  still  there,  but 
the  farmer  has  long  since  gone  to  his 
reward.  Before  he  died  our  subject 
worked  for  him  for  a  length  of  time,  the 
farmer  having  forgiven  him  for  not  making 
the  purchase,  and  the}-  became  the  best  of 
friends.  After  remaining  withBowen  Broth- 
ers for  one  year  Mr.  Betz  went  to  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  where  he  secured  work  in  Rand's 
lumber  yard.  While  there  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Barbara  Koeth,  of 
Chicago,  but  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States 
when  but  eight  years  of  age,  the  family 
locating  in  Rochester,  New  York.  The 
date  of  their  marriage  was  July  23,  1857. 
In  the  fall  of  1S57  Mr.  Betz,  being  in  ill 
health,  concluded  to  once  more  make  Somo- 
nauk his  home.     The  hard  times  of    1857 


was  now  on  and  no  work  was  to  be  ob- 
tained. In  the  old  country  he  had  learned 
to  make  willow  baskets  and  the  idea  came 
to  him  that  he  might  take  up  this  occupa- 
tion in  Somonauk  and  thus  keep  the  wolf 
from  the  door.  Beginning  their  manufact- 
ure he  continued  in  the  same  for  thirteen 
winters,  disposing  of  his  wares  principalh' 
in  the  neighborhood,  but  sending  some  to 
Chicago.  In  the  summers  he  worked  by  the 
daj-  for  the  farmers  and  was  four  summers 
on  the  railroad  track  as  a  common  hand, 
after  which  he  took  contracts  for  making 
fences  for  farmers  and  also  erected  a  fence 
in  Clinton  township,  on  the  Chicago  &  Iowa 
Railroad.  After  this  he  worked  three 
months  for  carpenters,  but,  not  getting  his 
pay,  he  began  carpentering  and  contracting 
on  his  own  account.  This  he  did  for  four 
years,  then  commenced  the  lumber  business 
with  a  cash  capital  of  one  hundred  dollars. 
In  one  year  he  was  four  thousand  four 
hundred  dollars  in  debt,  and  this  caused  him 
many  a  sleepless  night.  However,  by 
energy,  industry  and  economy,  and  the  excel- 
lent help  of  his  good  wife,  he  pulled  through, 
paid  the  debts  and  continued  the  business. 
He  has  been  very  fortunate  and  is  to-day 
considered  one  of  the  most  substantial  busi- 
ness men,  not  only  of  Somonauk,  but  of  the 
southern  portion  of  De  Kalb  county.  About 
18S5  he  added  an  agricultural  and  machin- 
ery department  to  his  business,  together 
with  wagons,  carriages  and  buggies,  and 
later  paints  and  oils  have  been  added.  He 
keeps  two  salesmen  regularly  and  also  a 
workmen,  while  his  nephew  does  the  out- 
side work  and  he  the  office  work  of  the 
business. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Betz  have  no  children  of 
their  own,  but  in  1870,  they  adopted  Ida 
Harmon,   who   later   n)arried    John   Rhein- 


468 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


gruber,  and  they  reside  in  Chicago  where 
he  is  employed  as  a  detective  on  the  rail- 
road. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Betz,  as  well  as  their 
adopted  daughter  and  her  husband,  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Betz  is  a  Republican.  In  1S54  he 
read  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  in  the  Cernian  lan- 
guage, and  on  coming  to  America  that  had 
much  to  do  in  settling  his  political  faith. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Betz  are  justly  numbered 
among  the  influential  people  of  Somonauk. 
They  are  worthy  and  kind  hearted,  and  are 
now  enjoying  a  well  earned  prosperity  in 
the  evening  of  their  lives.  Their  home  is  a 
beautiful  one,  and  they  dispense  a  delight- 
ful hospitality  to  their  large  circle  of  friends. 
Having  proved  himself  an  excellent  man  of 
business,  Mr.  Betz  can  now  well  afford  to 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  industry,  surrounded 
by  the  comforts  and  lu.xuries  which  his  own 
hands  have  earned.  Forsonie  years  he  has 
at  certain  seasons  visited  the  Pacific  coast, 
including  the  Yellowstone  Park,  and  other 
places  of  interest.  A  few  jears  since  he 
visited  New  Orleans  and  while  there  at- 
tended the  lumbermen's  e.xcursion  along  the 
coast,  Hud  formed  man)'  pleasant  and  most 
serviceable  acquaintances.  His  good  wife 
was  his  traveling  companion,  and  they  had 
a  most  e.Ncellent  time.  They  have  both 
seen  and  had  many  of  the  ups  and  downs  of 
life,  but  by  their  good  management  have 
secured  a  competency  in  their  decline  of 
life. 


FRANCIS  M.  COLES,  who  resides  on 
section  26,  South  Grove  township,  is  a 
native  of  Somersetshire,  England,  born  De- 
cember 15,  1845,  and  is  asonof  George  M. 
and  Harriet  H.  (Prescott)  Coles,  both  na- 
tives of  the  same  shire  in  England,  and  who 


were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  Henry, 
John,  James,  George,  Francis  M.,  Harriet 
and  Frederick.  By  occupation  the  father 
was  a  farmer,  and  dealer  in  fine  horses  in 
his  native  land. 

In  his  native  country  our  subject  grew  to 
manhood,  remaining  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
receiving  a  fairly  good  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Like  thousands  of  others 
in  the  Old  World  who  had  heard  of  the 
New,  with  its  unlimited  opportunities  to 
advance  in  life,  he  determined  to  come  to 
this  favored  land  and  when  but  twenty 
years  old  crossed  the  ocean  alone  and  com- 
ing direct  to  De  Kalb  county  secured  em- 
ployment of  a  farm  at  twenty-five  dollars 
per  month.  He  continued  in  various  em- 
ployment until  1885,  and  up  to  that  time 
had  traveled  almost  throughout  the  entire 
United  States.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1885, 
he  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Rich,  widow  of 
Thomas  Rich,  who  was  a  native  of  Somer- 
setshire, England.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Martha  Burstan,  both  of  whom 
were  also  natives  of  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, and  who  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  \\'illiam, 
Charles,  Mary  A.,  and  George.  Mrs.  Coles 
was  married  to  her  first  husband,  Thomas 
I^ich,  January  26,  1870,  and  at  once  came 
with  him  to  South  Grove  township,  De  Kalb 
count)',  Illinois,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  death 
occurred  on  the  farm,  June  13,  1884,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six  years. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Coles  took  up 
his  residence  on  the  farm  of  his  wife,  where 
they  have  since  continued  to  reside.  They 
have  added  a  forty-acre  tract  to  the  original 
farm  and  it  now  comprises  one  hundred  and 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


469 


sixty  acres  of  fine  productive  land.  In 
politics  Mr.  Coles  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England, 
of  which  body  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  holding  mem- 
bership in  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  coni- 
nianderj-,  and  also  of  the  Eastern  Star.  In 
the  latter  body  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 
He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Maccabees. 


JABEZ  CAMPBELL,  who  resides  on 
section  21,  Sycamore  township,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  general  farming,  was  born 
in  Chenango  county.  New  York,  in  the 
town  of  Greene,  May  5,  1844,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  R.  and  Clarinda  (Marvin)  Camp- 
bell, the  former  a  native  of  Delaware  coun- 
ty. New  York,  born  in  November,  18 10, 
and  died  in  October,  1891,  and  the  latter 
born  in  Connecticut  in  iSio,  and  died  in 
1892.  The}'  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living:  James  L., 
of  Sycamore;  Abigail,  widow  of  John  Black, 
residing  in  Sycamore;  Jabez,  and  Almira, 
wife  of  Clark  A.  Winans,  of  East  State 
street.  Sycamore.  In  politics  John  R. 
Campbell  was  originally  a  Whig,  and  later 
a  Republican.  Tne  paternal  grandfather. 
Jabez  Campbell,  born  in  one  of  the  eastern 
states,  was  of  Scotch  descent.  He  died  in 
Chenango  county,  New  York,  when  prob- 
ably eighty  years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  west  in 
1853,  with  his  parents.  While  yet  residing 
in  New  York,  he  attended  the  district 
schools,  and  again  after  his  removal  to  De 
Kalb  count\\  For  ten  years  after  the  ar- 
rival of  the  family  in  De  Kalb  county,  the 
father  rented  land,  and  in  1863,  he  made 
his  first  purchase  of  seventy  acres,  to  which 
he  later  added  forty  acres  more.      In   addi- 


tion he  became  the  owner  of  several  houses 
and  lots  in  De  Kalb.  Our  subject  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority. He  was  married  in  Crystal  Lake, 
Illinois,  March  24,  1867,  to  Mary  L.  Hoff- 
man, a  native  of  Nunda,  Illinois,  born 
April  18,  1848,  and  a  daughter  of  David  S. 
Hoffman,  a  native  of  Cayuga  county,  New- 
York,  born  June  10,  1825.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  union  being  with  \'alonia 
G.  Stanard,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died 
in  1857,  leaving  one  child,  Mary  L.,  now 
Mrs.  Campbell.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Campbell,  Colonel  \\"illiam  Hoff- 
man, was  born  in  Cayuga  county,  New  York, 
about  1773.  He  was  the  son  of  Mathias 
Hoffman,  a  native  of  Germany.  He  was 
married  August  20,  1814,  in  Cayuga  coun- 
ty. New  York,  to  Lovilla  Sears,  born  June 
10.  ^77 i-  From  Cayuga  county  he  moved 
to  Livingston  county.  New  York,  in  1826, 
and  there  reisded  until  1837,  when  he 
moved  west  to  McHenry  county,  Illinois, 
where  his  death  occurred. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  seven  chil- 
dren were  born,  five  of  whom  are  living. 
Stewart  married  Emma  Niciiols,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Lewis.  They  make  their 
home  in  Mayfield  township.  Minnie  mar- 
ried Bert  Gustavison,  and  they  reside  in 
Sycamore  township.  Lettie  married  Will- 
iam Graham,  of  Mayfield  township,  who  is 
now  serving  as  school  director  and  road 
comIrli^sioner,  and  who  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  They  have  two  children.  \'iolet 
and  Irene.  Cora  and  John  Ernest  yet  re- 
side at  home. 

In  October,  1864,  Mr.  Campbell  en- 
listed in  Company  B,  Thirty-first  Regiment 
Illinois  X'olunteer  Infantry.  He  joined  the 
regiment  in  the  south  and  his  first  battle 
was  near  .Atlanta.      With    his    regiment   he 


470 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


was  through  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  on 
the  march  to  the  sea  The  regiment  was 
near  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  when  the 
news  of  Lee's  surrender  was  proclaimed. 
They  were  then  ordered  through  Richmond 
to  Washington,  where  they  participated  in 
the  grand  review.  From  Washington  the 
regiment  was  sent  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  but  received 
its  discharge  at  Springfield,  in  August, 
1865.  Returning  to  his  home  after  receiv- 
ing his  discharge,  Mr.  Campbell  worked  for 
his  father  one  year,  then  married  and  began 
life  for  himself.  He  purchased  a  farm  near 
his  father's,  and  has  since  bought  the  old 
homestead.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing, and  has  no  cause  to  regret  having  chosen 
the  vocation  of  a    farmer    for   his  life  work. 


JAMES  NISBET,  whose  residence  is  on 
section  27,  Paw  Paw  township,  but 
whose  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  lies  in  sections  21,  22,  27  and  28, 
is  a  native  of  Paw  Paw  township,  born 
on  the  old  family  homestead,  October  28, 
1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Matthew  Nisbet,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  born  in  Glasgow,  in 
I  81 8,  and  who  there  grew  to  manhood,  and 
emigrated  to  the  New  World  about  1839, 
locating  first  in  Canada,  and  who  later  trav- 
eled through  Iowa  and  finally  located  in  De 
Kalb  count}',  Illinois,  in  1841.  He  entered 
a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres,  to  which  he 
added  till  his  farm  comprised  se\  en  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  in  Paw  Paw  township, 
on  which  he  located  and  which  he  thor- 
oughly improved.  He  was  married  in  Paw 
Paw  township  to  Miss  Nancy  Harper,  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  who  came  with  her  par- 
ents to  De  Kulb  county,  after  arriving  at 
mature  years.      On  his  farm   Matthew  Nis- 


bet built  a  stone  house  and  there  reared  his 
family,  dying  March  23,  1873.  His  wife 
survives  him  and  yet  resides  in  the  old  home. 
They  had  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  James 
Harper,  a  farmer  of  Paw  Paw  township. 
Isabella  is  the  wife  of  William  Hyde,  of 
Bedford,  Iowa.  William  is  a  farmer  resid- 
ing in  Paw  Paw  township.  Mar}'  is  the 
wife  of  C.  V.  Weddell,  of  Paw  Paw  town- 
ship. Lawrence  owns  and  operates  the 
home  farm.  James  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

On  the  home  farm  [ames  Nisbet  grew 
to  manhood,  and  in  the  neighborhood 
schools  received  his  education.  He  re- 
mained with  his  father,  assisting  in  the  farm 
work,  until  the  latter's  death,  and  when  in 
his  twentieth  year,  March  3,  1873,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lemira  J. 
Bartlett,  a  daughter  of  E.  O.  Bartlett,  of 
Paw  Paw  township.  She  was  reared  in  the 
township  and  educated  in  the  Paw  Paw 
Seminary.  Two  children  came  to  l)less  their 
union,  Dora  B.  and  Ethel. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Nisbet  moved 
to  the  place  where  he  now  resides.  His 
father  had  given  him  eighty  acres  of  land 
and  he  bought  an  adjoining  eighty  acres  on 
which  was  an  old  house,  and  which  was 
partially  improved.  He  has  since  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  giving  hini  a 
fine  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
the  greater  part  of  which  is  now  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  The  farm  is  well 
drained,  having  some  four  or  five  miles  of 
tiling,  and  is  a  most  valuable  place.  He 
annually  feeds  for  the  market  from  four  to 
six  carloads  of  stock,  and  in  all  his  farming 
operations  he  is  quite  successful.  He  cast 
his  first  presidential  ballot  for  R.  B.  Hayes 
in  1876,  and  has  since  been  an  earnest  sup- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


471 


porter  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  now 
filling  the  position  of  coniniissioncr  of  high- 
ways, an  office  which  he  is  well  qualified  to 
fill.  He  has  also  served  as  township  trus- 
tee in  a  satisfactory  manner.  Taking  an 
active  interest  in  local  politics,  he  has  often 
represented  his  township  in  the  various  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  A  progressive  farmer, 
he  keeps  up  with  the  times,  and  his  place  is 
well  supplied  with  all  the  labor  saving  ap- 
pliances known  to  the   farming  community. 


H 


ALVOR  KITTELSON,  who  resides  on 
section  32,  Milan  township,  but  who 
is  living  a  retired  life,  came  to  I)e  Kalb 
countvin  i860.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  April  6,  1836,  and  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  country,  being  reared  on  a 
farm.  In  the  common  schools  of  the  old 
country  he  received  a  limited  education,  his 
knowledge  of  English  being  acquired  after 
the  removal  to  this  country.  He  was  mar- 
in  Norway  in  i860  to  Miss  Julia  Hillison, 
also  a  native  of  Norway,  and  born  in  the 
same  neighborhood  as  that  of  her  husband. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  bid  farewell 
to  their  friends  and  set  sail  for  the  New 
World.  Arriving  in  New  York  they  came 
direct  to  Illinois  and  located  in  La  Salle 
county,  where  Mr.  Kittelson  rented  lanil  and 
engaged  in  farming.  After  raising  three 
crops,  in  1863  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county 
and  bought  eighty  acres,  which  comprises  a 
part  of  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides. 
His  industrious  habits  and  strict  economy 
enabled  him  a  little  later  to  purchase  one 
hundred  and  si.xty  acres,  which  is  now  occu- 
pied by  his  son  Henry.  He  also  purchased 
eighty  acres  on  section  3 1 ,  but  has  sold  forty 
acres  of  the  home  farm. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kittelson  are  the  parents 
of  four  children.  Cora  resides  at  home. 
Henry  is  married  and  is  engaged  in  farming 
in  Milan  township.  Isbell  is  married  and 
engaged  in  farming  in  Lee  county.  Julia  is 
the  wife  of  Martin  Ruddell,  of  Milan  town- 
ship. The  family  are  all  industrious  and, 
like  their  parents,  have  been  successful  in 
their  chosen  avocation.  ■  Politically,  Mr. 
Kittelson  is  a  strong  Republican  and  has 
given  his  support  to  that  party  during  his 
entire  residence  in  this  country.  The  entire 
familj' are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  faith  they  were  reared.  All  are 
well  known  and  highly  respected  in  the 
co.nmunity  in  which  they  have  so  long  re- 
sided. 


M.\JOR  JOHN  \V.  BURST,  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  and  one  who  has  a 
national  reputation  among  his  comrades, 
now  residing  in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  was 
born  in  Meredith,  Delaware  county.  New 
York,  July  29,  1843,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob 
C.  and  Olive  A.  (Comstock)  Burst,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Schoharie  county. 
New  York.  By  occupation  the  father  was 
a  farmer,  which  vocation  he  followed  dur- 
ing his  entire  life.  His  death  occurred  in 
his  native  state  about  1880.  Politically  he 
was  a  Democrat  until  i860,  after  which  time 
he  was  an  enthusiastic  Republican.  The 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and 
Hannah  (Snook)  Comstock.  Her  father 
being  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  John  I.  Burst,  was 
also  a  native  of  Schoharie  county,  and 
there  married  Sirah  Luckey.  Her  sisters, 
while  at  Poughkcepsie,  met  and  entertained 
LaFayette  on  his  visit  to  America.  An  uncle 
of  John  I.  Burst,  Jacob  Burst,  was  an  ofifi- 


47- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cer  in  the   Revolutionary  war.     The  familj' 
are  of  Holland  descent. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth  in  his  native  state,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  Ferguson 
Academy  and  in  the  Charlotte  Academy, 
which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen 
years.  He  then  went  to  New  York  cit}', 
making  his  home  with  an  uncle,  attending 
to  his  collections,  while  at  the  same  time 
going  to  school.  In  the  fall  of  i860  he 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  stopped  at 
Kirkland,  where  relatives  were  then  living. 
During  the  winter  following  he  worked  in 
the  store  of  Mr.  Ryder,  at  Belvidere. 

The  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  re- 
sulted in  the  Civil  war,  and  under  the  first 
call  for  three  hundred  thousand  men,  Mr. 
Burst  enlisted  May  15,  1861,  in  Company 
D,  Fifteenth  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  mustered  into  the  service  as  a  pri- 
vate at  Freeport,  Illinois.  The  regiment 
was  first  sent  to  Alton,  where  it  was  in 
camp  for  a  time,  after  which  it  was  sent  to 
Mexico,  Missouri.  Here  Mr.  Burst  first 
met  General  Grant.  While  there  he  was 
poisoned  by  some  insect,  which  crossed  his 
face  while  sleeping,  resulting  in  the  loss  of 
the  use  of  his  eyes  for  some  time.  He  was 
sent  home  and  suffered  greatly  through  the 
winter,  and  was  not  able  to  use  his  eyes 
until  the  summer  of  1862,  having  been  dis- 
charged in  December,   1861. 

On  the  lOth  of  August,  1862,  Mr.  Burst 
re-enlisted  in  Company  C.One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  into  the  service  at  Dixon,  Illinois, 
September  2,  1862.  The  regiment  was 
then  sent  to  Chicago  for  a  few  days,  and 
from  there  to  Louisville.  Kentucky,  and 
later  to  Frankfort,  in  the  same  state.  By 
a  forced  march,  it  went  to  Lexington,  and 


was  in  the  chase  after  Morgan.  Re- 
turning to  Lexington,  it  was  later  at  Bow- 
ling Green,  Hartsville,  Galatin,  and  then  to 
Tunnel  Hill,  where  it  guarded  the  tunnel 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  winter.  Re- 
turning to  Galatin,  it  was  then  sent  to 
Nashville,  and  on  to  La  \'ergne  and  Mur- 
physborough.  It  was  then  sent  back  to 
La  Vergne  and  Nashville,  and  from  the  lat- 
ter place  started  to  join  Sherman  at  Chat- 
tanooga. Crossing  the  Cumberland  mount- 
ains it  went  by  the  way  of  the  Wauhatchie 
valley,  near  the  line  of  the  Nashville 
and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  crossing  the 
riverat  Stephenson,  Alabama.  It  took  posi- 
tion in  the  Wauhatchie  valley,  under  the 
point  of  Lookout  Mountain.  The  regiment 
was  next  in  Sherman's  campaign  to  Atlanta, 
crossing  Chickamauga  Valley,  by  (Gordon's 
Mills,  near  Rockey  Face  Gap,  through 
Snake  Creek  Gap,  to  Ressaca,  facing  John- 
son's army.  The  regiment  lay  under  fire 
May  14,  1864.  On  the  15th  the  Twelfth 
Corps  was  ordered  around  to  the  left  of  Res- 
aca,  where  they  formed  and  made  an  ad- 
vance, under  heavy  fire  of  the  main  body 
of  Johnson's  army.  The\'  forced  the  ene- 
my back  behind  the  breastworks,  and  cap- 
tured the  redoubt  in  which  there  were  four 
fine  brass  cannon.  The  regiment  was  en- 
gaged in  fighting  the  entire  day,  the  enemy 
leaving  during  the  night. 

Moving  on  with  the  army,  the  next  en- 
gagement participated  in  by  the  regiment 
was  at  Cassville,  Georgia,  where  the  enemy 
was  driven  from  its  position.  Johnson's 
army  here  divided,  a  part  going  towards 
Rome,  and  the  remainder  towards  Dallas. 
On  the  25th  of  May  the  regiment  was  in 
the  engagement  at  New  Hope  Church,  and 
skirmishing  for  position,  moving  by  right 
and    left    Hank,    the   division   in    which    the 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


473 


One  Hundred  and  Fifth  was  attached,  en- 
gaging the  enemj'  about  6  i'.  m.  Shortly 
after  the  battle  commenced,  our  subject 
had  his  leg  shot  off  by  a  slieli,  which  struck 
him  before  it  exploded.  His  leg  was  ampu- 
tated in  the  held  hospital,  and  the  next  day 
he  was  taken  across  the  mountains  forty- 
five  miles  to  Kingston,  Georgia.  The  sec- 
ond morning  he  was  placed  on  a  train  in  a 
freight  car,  and  taken  to  Chattanooga.  On 
arriving  there,  he  was  at  once  carried  into 
the  receiving  tent,  and  the  wound  was  ex- 
amined. Gangrene  had  set  in,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  the  gangrene  ward.  Another 
amputation  was  promptly  made,  but  the 
wound  never  healed,  and  a  third  amputa- 
tion was  made  after  his  arrival  home.  He 
was  sent  home  about  the  middle  of  lui)', 
1864,  again  being  sent  in  a  cattle  car, 
in  which  he  went  from  Chattanooga  to 
Nashville.  Here  he  was  placed  in  the 
officers'  hospital,  and  later  sent  home. 

Major  Burst  went  into  service  as  a  pri- 
vate, and  was  then  orderly-sergeant  for  six 
months,  and  served  as  second  lieutenant 
one  year  and  first  lieutenant  one  year.  He 
was  commissioned  captain,  but  never  must- 
ered, the  commission  being  received  after 
the  loss  of  his  leg.  After  recovering  from 
his  wound.  Major  Burst  was  appointed 
postal  clerk  in  the  railway  mail  service. 
This  was  in  the  spring  of  1865,  and  he 
served  in  that  position  until  the  fall  of  1866, 
when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Syca- 
more. After  serving  four  years  as  post- 
master, he  returned  in  1871  to  the  railway 
mail  service,  with  which  he  was  connected 
until  1886,  when  he  resigned  during  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Cleveland.  In 
the  spring  of  1887,  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Oglesby,  warehouse  registrar  at 
Chicago,  and  served  during  his  administra- 


tion, and  two  years  under  Governor  Fifer. 
At  the  request  of  Jeremiah  Rusk,  secretary 
of  agriculture,  he  was  appointed  by  Secre- 
tary Foster,  of  the  treasury,  inspector  of 
immigration  in  Chicago,  and  served  until 
1893,  when  he  resigned  at  the  request  of 
President  Cleveland.  In  1894,  he  was 
quartermaster-general  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and 
in  1895  and  1896,  he  was  connected  with 
the  passenger  department  of  the  Chicago  & 
Great  Western  Railroad.  In  the  fall  of 
1896,  he  was  one  of  the  "wrecks  of  the 
Rebellion,  "  a  party  organized  by  General 
.Alger,  and  composed  of  Generals  Howard, 
Sickles,  Stewart,  Marden,  Corporal  Tanner 
and  Major  Burst.  They  made  a  tour  of 
thirteen  states  in  the  interests  of  William 
McKinley.  .^fter  McKinley  became  presi- 
dent Major  Burst  was  again  appointed  in- 
spector of  immigration  at  Chicago,  which 
office  he  is  still  tilling. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1871,  Major 
Burst  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lettice 
Ann  Mayo,  born  in  Sycamore,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  Edward  L.  and  Emily  K. 
(Holden)  Majo,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  \'ermont,  and  among  the  early  settlers  of 
De  Kalb.  Judge  Mayo  was  born  in  1807, 
and  died  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  For  some  years  he  was  judge  of  the 
county  court  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  county. 
The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Burst 
were  Larnard  and  Thirza  (Marcey)  Mayo, 
and  the  maternal  grandparents  were  Josiah 
and  Betsy  (Leiand)  Holden.  To  Major  and 
Mrs.  Burst  three  children  were  born:  Ed- 
ward M.,  of  whom  mention  is  made  else- 
where in  this  work;  Bessie  M.,  wife  of 
Henry  W.  Prentice,  an  attorney  of  De  Kalb; 
and  Bertha  C,  at  home. 

In  politics  Major  Burst  is  a  stanch  Re- 


474 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


publican.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has 
held  everj^  office  in  the  national  organiza- 
tion with  the  exception  of  commander. 
Four  times  he  was  a  prominent  candidate 
for  the  latter  office,  and  could  have  been 
elected  if  he  would  have  bound  himself  by 
promises  to  appoint  certain  members  to 
office.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Grand 
Arm}',  and  was  a  member  of  Ransom  Post, 
of  Chicago,  the  third  post  organized  in  the 
United  States.  In  1868  the  organization 
went  to  pieces,  and  in  1869  it  was  re-organ- 
ized as  a  non-political  organization,  and  its 
growth  was  so  rapid  that  in  1870  it  had  six 
hundred  thousand  members.  Potter  Post 
No.  12,  of  Sycamore,  was  organized  by 
Major  Burst.  For  six  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  G.  A.  R.  pension  com- 
mittee, and  assisted  in  drafting  pension  bills, 
especially  the  bill  passed  in  June,  1890, 
which  has  resulted  in  greater  benefit  to  sol- 
diers than  any  bill  passed  since  the  war. 


ALVIN  P.  BURNHAM,  who  resides  on 
section  21,  \'ictor  township,  some  four 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  Leland,  where  he 
owns  a  well  improved  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  has  been  a  resident  of  De 
Kalb  county  since  1855.  He  was  born 
near  Portland,  Maine,  May  15,  1836,  and 
is  the  son  of  Bain  Burnham,  a  native  of  the 
same  state  and  county,  born  in  1799,  and 
the  grandson  of  Moses  Burnham,  also  a 
native  of  Maine.  The  family  is  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  four  brothers  emigrating  from 
England  in  the  17th  century,  one  locating 
in  Maine,  another  in  Massachusetts,  the 
third  in  New  Hampshire,  and  the  fourth  in 
New  York.  Moses  Burnham  was  a  pioneer 
of    Androscoggin   county,  Maine,  where    he 


made  a  home  in  the  wilderness  and  reared 
his  family.  Bain  Burnham  was  there  reared 
and  married  Eliza  Haskell,  also  a  native  of 
the  same  county  and  state,  and  a  daughter 
of  'Squire  Haskell.  They  reared  their  fam- 
ily in  their  native  county,  but  later  came 
west  and  joined  one  of  their  sons  in  De 
Ralb  county,  Illinois,  and  here  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  the  father  dying  in 
Dwight,  at  the  residence  of  a  daughter  in 
1870.  His  wife  survived  him  a  few  years, 
dying  in  1875.  Of  their  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  grew  to  mature  years.  J.  H. 
grew  to  manhood,  remained  in  Maine, 
where  his  death  occurred.  Emma  H.  mar- 
ried Frederick  Lakin,  of  Maine,  and  later 
they  came  to  De  Kalb  county  and  now  re- 
side at  Sandwich.  Octavia  married  J.  M. 
Smith,  settled  in  Dwight  and  there  died. 
Alvin  P.  is  the  subject  of  thisreview.  Sum- 
ner was  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fourth  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  killed 
in  battle  at  Huntsville,  Tennessee,  in  1864. 
John  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
servmg  in  a  regiment  from  Maine,  and  died 
in  a  hospital  of  disease  contracted  while  in 
the  service. 

Alvin  P.  Burnham  was  nineteen  years  of 
age  when  he  left  his  native  state  and  came 
to  Illinois.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state,  and  also  the 
North  Bridgeton  Academy,  receiving  a  fairly 
good  education.  He  came  direct  to  Le- 
land, Illinois,  and  there  spent  the  season 
and  for  four  or  five  years  worked  b}-  the 
month  for  various  farmers.  In  the  fall  of 
i860,  in  La  Salle  county,  he  married  Cyn- 
thia P.  Morton,  a  native  of  Maine,  but 
mostly  reared  and  educated  in  Lynn,  Mass- 
achusetts, coming  west  with  her  father, 
George  Morton,  in  1856,  the  family  locat- 
ing in  La  Salle  county.      She  there  engaged 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


A7i 


in  teaching,  in  which  occupation  she  con- 
tinued until  her  marriage.  By  this  union 
there  was  one  daughter,  Clara  M.,  now  the 
wife  of  Charles  G.  Arnold,  a  native  of  De 
Kalb  county,  and  a  man  of  good  education, 
and  good  business  qualities.  Mrs.  .Arnold 
is  also  well  educated,  and  in  addition  to  the 
common  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  at- 
tended the  high  school  in  Leland.  They 
now  reside  on  the  Burnham  farm. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Burnham  rented 
land  in  La  Salle  county  some  four  or  five 
years  then  moved  to  Livingston  county,  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  six 
acres  which  he  cultivated  until  iS6S,  when 
he  sold  out  and  came  to  De  Kalb  countv 
and  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides. It  was  a  partiall}'  improved  farm, 
but  has  been  greatl}-  changed  since  coming 
into  possession  of  its  present  owner  who 
has  built  two  good  residences,  good  barns, 
and  various  outbuildings,  enclosing  it  with 
a  neat  and  well  trimmed  hedge  fence,  and 
beautifying  it  by  shade  and  ornamental 
trees.  In  addition  to  general  farming  he 
has  made  a  specialty  of  breeding  and  deal- 
ing in  standard  bred  horse,  mostly  Eng- 
lish draft  horses,  and  has  followed  that 
business  for  some  years,  and  in  it  meet- 
ing with  good  success.  Politically  Mr. 
Burnham  is  a  Republican,  with  which  party 
he  has  been  identified  since  its  organization, 
and  has  \oted  for  each  of  its  presidential 
nominees.  In  1872  he  was  elected  asses- 
sor of  \'ictor  township,  and  by  re-election 
has  now  served  continuously  for  twenty-six 
years.  He  has  also  served  for  some  years 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  giving 
much  of  his  time  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  public  schools.  He  is  well  known 
in  both  La  Salle  and  De  Kalb  counties,  and 
where  best  known  he  is  the  most  highly  es- 

23 


teemed.  His  long  continued  service  as 
assessor  shows  the  confidence  in  which  he 
is  held  by  the  citizens  of  Victor  township. 


FRANK  E.    HILLS,  who  resides  in  Syca- 
more,   but    is  secretary,    manager   and 
principal    owner    of    the    Abram    Ellwood 
Manufacturing  Company,  De  Kalb,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  Middletown.  October  24,   1843. 
His  father,    Lorenzo  R.  Hills,  was  born  at 
Martinsburg,  Lewis  count}-.  New  York,  Jan- 
uary 28,   1 81 2,  and  died  at  Sandwich.  Illi- 
nois,   December  22,   18S9.      He  was  a  car- 
penter and  builder  by  trade,  an   occupation 
which    he    followed    during  his    entire  life. 
For  a  time  he  resided   in    Connecticut,  but 
in  1853,  removed  to  Plainfield,  Illinois,  and 
in  1863,  to  Sandwich.      He  was   a    leading 
builder  and  contractor,  and  erected  most  of 
the  largest  buildings  that  were  constructed 
in  the  places  where  he  resided  during  his  act- 
ive  career.       He    married   Mary   A.  Frary, 
born  in   Haverhill,  New    Hampshire,  in  the 
beautiful  Connecticut  \'aliey.  July  23,  1 8  [4, 
and  the  daughter  of  Elisha   Frary,  then  re- 
siding in   Haverhill.      She  died  in    De  Kalb 
county,    Februarj-  6,    1878.      The   paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Russell  Hills, 
a  carpenter  and   builder,  who   married  Lu- 
cretia    Robins,    and    died    at    Martinsburg. 
New  York. 

Frank  E.  Hills  moved  with  his  parents 
from  Middletown,  Connecticut,  to  Plain- 
field,  Will  county,  Illinois,  where  he  lived 
ten  years.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  in  both  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
and  Plainfield,  Illinois,  and  was  a  pjpil  for 
one  year  in  Clark  Seminary,  at  Aurora, 
where  his  literary  education  was  completed. 
The  war  for  the  Union  was  then  in  progress, 
and  our  subject  enlisted  in  August,   1862,  at 


4/6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Plainfield,  in  Company  D,  One  Hundredth 
Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  with  his 
regiment  went  south,  the  regiment  becoming 
a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He 
was  in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Stone 
River,  Chickamaiiga,  Mission  Ridge,  Frank- 
lin, and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  in  the 
entire  Atlanta  campaign,  .\fter  the  expir- 
ation of  his  term  of  service,  he  was  mustered 
out  at  Chicago. 

After  leaving  the  service,  Mr.  Hills 
joined  the  family  at  Sandwich,  where  they 
had  moved  in  1863.  He  then  again  took 
up  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
for  two  years.  He  was  then  emploj'ed  as 
bookkeeper  in  a  hardware  store  until  1875, 
when  he  was  elected  corresponding  secre- 
tary of  the  Sandwich  Enterprise  Company, 
remaining  with  that  institution  until  1878, 
when  he  became  associated  with  the  Reuben 
Ellvvood  Manufacturing  Company  at  Syca- 
more, with  which  he  was  connected  until 
1890.  When  General  Dustin  resigned  the 
otiice  of  circuit  clerk  at  that  time,  Mr.  Hills 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  From 
1892  to  1896,  he  was  engrossing  clerk  of 
the  state  senate.  Since  the  latter  date  he 
has  been  secretary  and  manager  of  the  A. 
Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company,  at  De 
Kalb. 

Mr.  Hills  was  married  in  Sandwich,  Illi- 
nois, January  4,  1867,  to  Miss  Mantie  Sud- 
doth,  a  native  of  Delaware  county,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Baxter) 
Suddoth,  natives  of  Culpeper  county,  \'ir- 
ginia.  Her  father  was  a  well-educated  man 
and  during  his  young  manhood  had  charge 
of  a  large  plantation  and  many  slaves  of  his 
father,  Robert  Henry  Suddoth,  near  Cul- 
peper Courthouse.  Some  years  before  the 
war  he  moved  to  Delaware  county,  Ohio, 
and  later  to  Plainfield,  Will  countv,  Illinois, 


and  still  later  to  Sandwich,  Illinois,  where 
he  died  in  1861.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hills 
four  children  have  been  born,  Hattie  Belle, 
Alberta  X'ermelle,  Frank  Robins  and  Harry 
Preston.  The  first  named  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two  months,  and  the  last  named 
in  1895  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hills  is  a  thorough  Re- 
publican and  has  ever  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  political  affairs,  or  as  much  as  his 
business  interests  would  permit.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  holds  membership  with  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter  of  Sandwich  and  command- 
ery  at  Sycamore.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  Thoroughly  progressive, 
a  good  business  manager  and  with  fine  ex- 
ecutive ability,  he  has  been  enabled  to  rise 
to  a  position  of  authority  and  placed  at  the 
head  of  one  of  the  most  important  manu- 
facturing institutions  in  De  Kalb  county. 
He  is  ever  ready  to  champion  anything  that 
will  advance  the  best  interests  of  his  adopted 
city  and  county,  and  this  fact  commends 
him  to  all  business  and  professional  men, 
those  on  whose  efforts  the  country  relies  for 
its  growth  and  well  being. 


WH.  \\'RIGHT,  mayor  of  Somonauk, 
and  assistant  cashier  of  the  Somo- 
nauk Bank,  was  born  in  the  village  October 
28,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  |.  and 
Lois  M.  (Gage)  Wright,  of  whom  mention 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  was 
reared  in  the  village,  and  after  completing 
a  course  in  its  public  schools,  was  engaged 
in  farm  work  some  five  years.  In  1890  he 
returned  to  the  village  and  took  his  present 
position  as  assistant  cashier  of  the  Somo- 
nauk Bank,  which  position  he  has  filled  ever 
since.      He  was  elected  clerk   of  the  village 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


477 


and  held  the  office  two  terms,  and  was  then 
elected  village  trustee  and  served  one  term. 
In  April,  1898,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the 
village  and  is  now  serving  as  such  official. 
Mr.  Wright  was  married  March  10,  188S, 
to  Miss  Nettie  Moore,  daughter  of  John  W. 
and  Amaretta  (Hupp)  Moore,  who  came  to 
this  section  of  the  state  from  the  east,  and 
who  are  yet  li\ing,  the  father  being  an  ex- 
tensive fanner  in  La  Salle  count\-.  By  this 
union  was  one  child.  La  \'erne,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  months.  Before  her  marriage 
Mrs.  Wright  was  a  successful  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  the  county.  She  departed  this 
life  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  her 
death  being  mourned,  not  alone  by  the  sor- 
rowing husband,  but  by  many  friends  in  De 
Kalb  and  La  Salle  counties. 

Mr.  Wright  is  a  member  of  Somonyuk 
Lodge,  No.  646,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Sand- 
wich chapter,  R.  A.  M.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  .As  a  business  man,  he  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
worthy  in  De  Kalb  county,  and  is  entitled  to 
the  honors  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  official 
position  which  he  has  been  called  on  to  fill. 


PETER  POULSON  is  one  of  the  large 
number  who  have  come  to  this  free 
land  from  Sweden  and  have  assisted  in  the 
development  of  tnuch  of  the  new  country. 
He  now  resides  on  a  fine  farm  in  Franklin 
township,  which  is  the  result  of  his  own  in- 
dustry and  thrifty  habits.  He  was  born  in 
Sweden  March  25,  1843,  and  is  the  son  of 
Paul  and  Ellen  (Larson)  Poulson,  both  na- 
tives of  Sweden  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children — Joseph,  Peter,  .Andrew, 
John,  Betsy,  Hannah  and  Christian.  Of 
these  Andrew  and  Christian  are  deceased. 
Paul  Anderson  has  followed  the  occupation 


of  a  farmer  during  his  entire  life.  He  never 
left  his  native  land.  In  his  native  country 
Peter  Poulson  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
educated  in  the  parochial  schools.  With 
the  aim  of  bettering  his  condition  in  life,  he 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1868,  coming 
direct  from  New  York  to  Rockiord,  Illinois, 
where  he  arrived  November  4,  1868.  His 
first  employment  in  this  country  was  at 
street  paving  at  Rockford,  and  then  upon  a 
farm,  where  he  worked  by  the  day.  In 
1880  he  bought  eighty-five  acres,  a  portion 
of  the  land  comprised  in  his  present  farm, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself.  On  the  13th  of  April,  1880,  he 
married  Mary  Johnson,  having  returned  to 
his  native  land  with  that  object  in  view. 
With  his  young  bride  he  again  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  and  at  once  commenced  the 
improvement  of  his  farm.  On  his  first  ar- 
rival in  this  country  he  had  but  a  five-dollar 
gold  piece  and  with  this  capital  he  went  to 
work  and  success  has  crowned  his  efforts. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poulson  have  seven  chil- 
dren living,  as  follows:  Sophia,  Alo.  .Alfred, 
Robert,  Amiel,  Rosa  and  Pearl.  Si.\  children 
are  deceased — Freda,  Earnest,  Estes,  .Ame- 
lia and  two  unnamed.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poul- 
son are  members  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
In  the  spring  of  1889  he  was  elected  road 
commissioner  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and 
has  three  times  been  re-elected  and  is  serv- 
ing his  fourth  term.  The  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  by  his  friends  and  neighbors 
is  shown  bv  his  continued  re-election. 


LP.  H.AR\'EV,  residing  at  Clare  Station, 
Mayfield  township,  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  butter  for  the 
past    sixteen    years.      He    is    a    native    of 


478 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Canada,  born  near  Montreal,  July  24,  1844, 
and  is  the  son  of  Gardner  Harvej',  also  a 
native  of  Canada,  and  the  grandson  of  L. 
P.  Harvey,  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  The 
Harvey  family  are  of  Scotch  ancestry, 
the  original  ancestor  coming  to  this 
country  from  the  vicinity  of  Glasgow, 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  lo- 
cating in  Massachusetts.  L.  P.  Harvey, 
Sr. ,  removed  from  Massachusetts  to  Cana- 
da at  (juite  an  early  day  and  there  engaged 
in  the  milling  business,  manufacturing  both 
flour  and  lumber.  He  btiilt  five  flouring 
mills  and  seven  sawmills,  and  also  owned 
and  operated   a  distillery  and  a  large  farm. 

Gardner  Harvey  was  reared  in  Canada, 
and  there  morried  Miss  Lydia  Boynton,  her 
father  being  also  a  miller  and  farmer.  After 
their  marriage  in  1858,  they  moved  to 
Portage  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  built 
a  sawmill  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  lumber,  remaining  there  some  five  or  six 
years,  then  moving  to  Amherst,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  spent  some  years,  and  later  moved 
to  Florida,  where  he  engaged  in  orange 
growing  some  twelve  years.  Selling  out,  he 
returned  to  Wisconsin  and  died  in  Amherst, 
in  January,  1898.  His  wife  yet  survives 
him.     ■ 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  in 
Canada  until  si.xteen  years  of  age,  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  mill  and  assisting  in 
cultivating  the  home  farm.  While  residing 
in  his  native  country,  he  had  good  school 
privileges  of  which  he  made  good  use,  and 
after  his  removal  to  Wisconsin,  he  attended 
the  common  schools  of  that  state,  and  later 
spent  one  year  in  a  business  college  at  Mil- 
waukee. In  his  youth  he  had  some  e.xperi- 
ence  as  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment 
and  after  completing  his  studies  he  engaged 
in  the  general   mercantile    business   at   Am- 


herst, Wisconsin,  and  there  continued  three 
years,  meeting  with  fair  success.  Selling 
out,  he  was  in  the  emplo\-  of  the  Wisconsin 
Central  Railroad  for  four  years  as  agent  and 
telegraph  operator.  From  Amherst  he 
came  to  I)e  Kalb  count}',  Illinois,  ami  lo- 
cated at  Kingston,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
milling,  Hour  and  feed  business,  in  which  he 
continued  four  jears.  In  1882  he  com- 
menced work  in  a  creamery  for  other  parties 
at  Colvin  Park,  Illinois,  and  continued  to 
be  thus  employed  until  1892,  when  he  went 
to  Clare  Station,  and  bought  out  an  estab- 
lished business  which  he  still  continues  to 
operate.  In  1897  he  purchased  the  cream- 
ery at  Esmond,  Illinois,  and  is  now  operat- 
ing both  creameries,  manufacturing  on  an 
average  five  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  daily 
during  the  entire  year.  He  pays  the  farm- 
ers for  milk  from  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars  to  three  thousand  dollars  per 
month. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  united  in  marriage  at 
Amherst,  Wisconsin,  December  24,  1869, 
with  Miss  Eliza  Loing,  a  native  of  Boone 
count}',  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Stanton 
Loing,  a  pioneer  of  Boone  count}-,  from 
New  York.  By  this  union  there  are  three 
children:  Heber  is  a  [)ractical  buttermaker 
and  is  managing  the  creamery  at  Esmond. 
Mary  and  Walter  yet  remain  ut  home,  the 
latter  assisting  in  the  Clare  creamery.  They 
lost  one  son,  Herbert,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years. 

The  first  presidential  vote  cast  by  Mr. 
Harvey  was  in  1868,  for  General  U.  S. 
Grant,  since  which  time  he  has  been  an 
earnest  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  While  always  refusing 
official  position,  he  has  yet  been  prevailed 
upon  to  serve  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.      Religiously    Mrs.  Harvey  is  identi- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


479 


fied  wfth  the  Baptists,  being;  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  church.  While  neither  a  pio- 
neer nor  an  old  settler  of  l)e  Kalb  county, 
Mr.  Harvev'  is  yet  \vell  known  and  has  many 
friends  in  the  county  as  well  as  in  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Boone. 


HON.  BYRON  F.  \VY.\I.\N  is  a  retired 
farmer  residing  f)n  section  ^6,  Syca- 
more township.  He  was  born  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides,  March  19,  1839.  His 
father,  Ralph  Wyman,  was  born  in  181  3  at 
Wethersfield,  Windsor  county,  Vermont, 
and  was  the  son  of  Asa  and  Sallie  iSearles) 
Wyman,  the  former  a  native  of  Townsend, 
Massachusetts,  who  came  west  in  1856,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-tive  years.  His 
wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Abigail  fPatton)  Searles,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Townsend,  Massachusetts,  at- 
tained the  age  of  ninety-one  years.  The 
W3  mans  y.re  of  German  origin  and  are  de- 
scendants of  two  brothers,  Weymann,  who 
left  Germany  and  sojourned  for  a  time  in 
Wales,  but  finally  came  to  America.  John 
Weymann,  a  tanner  by  trade,  married  Sarah 
Nutt.  Francis  We3'mann,  also  a  tanner, 
first  married  Judith  Pierce,  and  later  Abi- 
gail Rcid,  and  lived  in  Massachusetts  the 
latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century.  ,-\sa 
Wyman  was  born  in  Townsend,  Middlesex 
C(junty,  Massachusetts,  and  was  the  son  of 
Elijah  Wyman,  who  died  January  21,  1789, 
at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  married 
Abigail  Wctherby,  who  died  September  12, 
1825,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
Elijah  Wyman  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  the  gun  which  he  carried 
was  long  in  possession  of  his  son,  Asa. 

Ral])h  Wyman,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
when   two    years  of    age,    accom|)aiiicd   his 


parents  from  Wethersfield,  Vermont,  to 
\\'orcester,  Massachusetts,  and  in  a  few 
years  to  Middletown,  \'crmont.  In  1836 
he  came  west  and  settled  on  the  farm  where 
our  subject  now  resides,  but,  in  1837,  re- 
turned to  Massachusetts,  and  there  married 
Susan  Dayton,  born  in  \'ermont,  in  Novem- 
ber, 181S,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Day- 
ton, also  a  native  of  Vermont.  Immediately 
after  his  marriage  he  brought  his  bride  to 
his  new  home,  and  they  resided  upon  the 
farm  until  i860,  when  they  moved  to  the 
city  of  Sycamore.  After  his  removal  he 
followed  \arious  occupations,  being  inter- 
ested in  a  store  for  a  time,  then  in  a  lumber 
yard,  took  contracts  for  erecting  several 
buildings,  and  traded  and  speculated  in 
store.  His  death  occurred  in  1864.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  He  later  attended  the  schools 
at  Sycamore  and  De  Kalb,  and  Rock  River 
Seminary  at  Mount  Morris,  Illinois.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted.  May 
24,  i86r,  in  Company  F,  Thirteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  served 
until  June  18,  1864.  He  was  mustered  into 
the  service  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  and  was  in 
camp  at  Caseyville,  Illinois,  for  a  time,  the 
regiment  going  (rum  thence  to  RoUo,  Mis- 
souri, and  later,  while  on  the  way  to  Spring- 
field, Missouri,  \vas  in  several  engagements 
at  Lynn  Creek  and  at  Wet  CAn/.e.  .\fter- 
ward  the  regiment  was  sent  to  the  aid  of 
General  Seigel  at  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas, 
after  which  it  made  a  long  march  through 
Arkansas  (engaging  the  enemy  several 
times),  to  Hulma,  on  the  Mississippi  river, 
and  was  then  in  the  siege  of  \'icksburg. 
.\ftcr  the  cajiture  of  \'icksburg,  it  was  in  the 


4So 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


operations  around  Jackson,  Mississippi, 
Brandon,  and  assisted  in  the  capture  of 
Arkansas  Post,  Arkansas.  It  was  in  action 
at  Cherokee,  Cane  Creek  and  Tuscumbia, 
Alabama; Lookout  Mountain,  Mission  Ridge, 
Ringgold  Pass,  Georgia,  and  at  Madison 
Station,  Alabama,  which  was  the  last  en- 
gagement in  which  he  participated.  His 
term  of  service  having  expired,  he  was  dis- 
charged   at    Springfield,    Illinois,    June    i8, 

1864.  He  held  the  office  of  sergeant,  and 
was  wounded  twice  while  in  the  service. 

On  receiving  his  discharge,  Mr.  \\'3man 
returned  home,  and  for  a  short  time  clerked 
in  a  grocery  store  in  Sycamore.  He  then  re- 
turned to  the  old  home  farm,  which  with  the 
e.xception  of  four  or  five  years,  has  since  been 
his  home.      He  was   married    October    19, 

1865,  at  Bear  Creek,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss 
Nettie  S.  Lowell,  born  in  Moretown,  Ver- 
mont, and  daughter  of  Martin  L.  Lowell,  a 
native  of  Lemster,  New  Hampshire.  By 
this  union  there  are  seven  children.  Ralph 
L.  graduated  from  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, Evanston,  Illinois,  married  Kate  A. 
Russell,  and  is  now  practicing  law  in  Chi- 
cago. Luther  Everett  is  a  graduate  of 
Lombard  University,  Galesburg,  Illinois, 
and  is  now  chief  clerk  in  a  stock  broker's 
office,  Chicago.  Frank  E.  and  Bernard  A. 
have  been  running  the  home  farm  since 
1893,  and  dealing  in  farm  produce  in  Syca- 
more. \'incent  D.  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Sycamore  high  school,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law  in  Chicago.  Edmond 
S.  and  Cecil  L.  are  still  under  the  parental 
roof. 

Mr.  \\'yman  has  been  a  frequent  contrib- 
utor to  the  agricultural  journals  of  the 
country,  and  for  many  years  was  secretary 
of  the  De  Kalb  County  Agricultural  Fair 
dissociation,  and  has  for  a  number  of   years 


been  statistical  correspondent  for  the  agri- 
cultural department  at  W^ashington.  He  is 
vice-president  of  the  Kingston  Mutual  Insur- 
ance Company,  a  county  corporation  carry- 
ing one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars 
of  risk.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  \\"oodmen  of  America 
and  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican,  and  for  fourteen 
years  was  one  of  the  supervisor  of  Syca- 
more township.  From  1S91  to  1894,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Board  of 
World's  Fair  Commissioners,  and  for  four 
years  was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Board  of  Agriculture.  He  is  a  thoroughly 
posted  man  in  agricultural  matters,  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  De  Kalb  Count)- 
Farmers'  Institute,  was  many  years  its  sec- 
retary, and  was  the  first  director  of  institu- 
tes for  the  congressional  district  in  which  he 
resides.  He  has  frequent  invitations  to  go 
to  different  parts  of  the  state  to  assist  in 
institute  and  convention  work,  and  is  well 
and  favorably  known  throughout  the  state. 
He  is  also  well  known  as  a  breeder  of  regis- 
tered Jersey  cattle.  He  has  given  consider- 
able attention  to  horticultural  matters,  and 
his  farm  is  well  stocked  with  many  varieties 
of  fruit. 


WW.  WOODBURY,  superintendent 
of  schools.  Sandwich,  Illinois,  is  an 
educator  of  superior  ability.  He  was  born 
in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  September  19, 
1858,  and  is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Laura 
A.  (Smith)  Woodbury,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1844,  when  a  boy  of  ten  years 
of  age,  the  father  came  west  locating  first 
in    Wisconsiii,    where     he     remained     until 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


4S1 


eighteen  years  of  age,  wlien  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  located  in  La  Salle  county. 
His  parents  both  died  before  his  leaving 
Wisconsin.  After  remaining  in  La  Salle 
county  for  a  time,  he  later  moved  to  Shab- 
bona  township.  De  Kalb  county.  He  is  a 
man  of  fine  ability,  well  known  throughout 
La  Salle  and  De  Kalb  counties.  Since  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
has  been  identified  with  it,  although  natur- 
ally independent  in  political  affairs.  His 
first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  General 
John  C.  Fremont.  His  wife  died  in  1890, 
at  the  age  of  about  fifty-seven  years.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  for  many  years,  and  quite  a  devout 
woman.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  oldest. 
The  others  are  E.  O. ,  residing  in  north- 
western Iowa;  A.  J.,  who  is  operating  the 
old  home  farm,  and  Minnie,  wife  of  M.  J. 
Ladd,  superintendent  of  schools  at  Warren, 
Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the 
public  schools  of  the  immediate  \icinity. 
Later  he  took  a  course  at  the  Teachers'  In- 
stitute and  Classical  Seminary,  at  Paw 
Paw,  Illinois.  He  also  received  special 
training  in  various  lines  of  study  at  the  Chi- 
cago University  and  Wisconsin  State  Uni- 
versity. In  1879  he  began  teaching  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  state,  and  in  1S8S 
was  made  principal  of  the  grammar  schools 
of  Sandwich,  and  in  1894  was  elected  to 
his  present  position  as  superintendent  of  its 
city  schools,  which  position  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  hold.  At  the  present  time  he  has 
twelve  teachers  under  him,  and  the  schools 
are  well  graded,  having  a  four  years  course 
of  study,  fitting  the  students  tor  entry  into 
the  freshman  class  of  the  State  University. 


In  1S97  a  class  of  eight  pupils  was  grad- 
uated, and  in  1898  a  class  of  eleven  pupils. 

In  1895  Mr.  Woodbury  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Nellie  G.  Forsythe. 
daughter  of  William  and  Frances  (Cole- 
man) Fors3the.  For  about  seven  years, 
Mrs.  Woodbury  was  a  teacher  in  the  Sand- 
wich schools,  and  was  recognized  as  one  of 
the  best.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodbury  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  is  filling  the  position  of  elder. 
Both  are  active  in  Sunday-school  work, 
and  are  teachers  in  the  Presbyterian  Sun- 
day school  of  Sandwich.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America. 

The  lives  and  efforts  of  both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Woodbury  have  been  exceedingly  use- 
ful to  the  city  of  Sandwich,  where  they 
have  been  educators  of  pronounecd  ability, 
where  they  are  deservedly  held  in  high  es- 
teem, their  services  giving  a  very  high 
degree  of  satisfaction.  They  both  possess 
that  refinement  and  culture  which  is  ac- 
quired only  by  close  kinship  with  books 
and  the  best  thev  contain. 


JOHN  GRAY,  a  retired  farmer  residing 
on  section  5,  Genoa  townshij),  was  born 
in  Lycoming  county.  Pennsylvania.  June  2, 
1 8 16.  He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  Gray.  whi> 
was  left  an  orphan  boy  and  reared  by  Ger- 
man people.  He  was  himself  of  German 
origin,  the  name  being  originally  spelled 
Krah.  He  married  Christina  Hartoe,  a 
daughter  of  John  Bartoe.  who  married  a 
Miss  Beaver.  Jacob  Gray  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-si.x  years,  while  his  wife  lived  to  be 
seventy-five  years  old. 

John   Gray    was    reared    in    his    native 
county  and  continued  under  his  father's  con- 


482 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


trol  until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  When 
eleven  years  of  age  he  commenced  working 
out  for  others,  receiving  only  his  board  and 
very  scanty  clothing.  He  then  received 
four  dollars  a  month  for  a  year,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  five  dollars  a  month,  and  six 
dollars  a  month  for  the  succeeding  year. 
From  1832  to  1834  he  worked  at  home,  but 
in  the  summer  of  1834  again  went  out  to 
service,  at  nine  dollars  per  month.  In  1S35 
he  built  furnaces  at  eighteen  dollars  per 
month,  and  in  i  836  worked  at  Mauch  Chunk 
on  the  railroad.  In  1S37  he  was  engaged 
in  work  in  a  brickyard,  and  in  1838  worked 
in  a  stillhouse. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1838,  Mr. 
Gray  was  united  in  marriage  with  Susanna 
Fague,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Corson)  Fague,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  three  of  his  daughters  being  mar- 
ried and  living  near  the  old  home  in  Penn- 
sylvania. After  his  marriage  Mr.  Gray  con- 
tinued to  work  in  a  distillery  in  Union  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  until  1842,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Lycoming  county  and  purchased 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  par- 
tially wild  timber  land  in  Wolf  township, 
which  he  cleared,  selling  the  wood  and  lum- 
ber and  making  a  good  farm.  On  that 
place  he  resided  until  the  spring  of  1874, 
his  wife  having  died  in  October,  1871.  His 
second  union  was  celebrated  December  10, 
1874,  when  he  married  Mrs.  Jerusha  Buck, 
widow  of  Daniel  Buck,  who  was  born  in 
Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  2, 
1 8 16,  and  who  was  by  occupation  a  farmer 
and  dealer  in   lumber  and  timber  land. 

Daniel  Buck  was  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Susannah  (Holmes)  Buck,  the  latter  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Knott)  Holmes. 
Peter  Buck  was  the  son  of  Henry  and  Cath- 
erine   (Rotharmal)    Buck.       Daniel     Buck 


married  jerusha  Craft,  born  in  Kenawah 
county,  Virginia,  October  14,  1823,  and  a 
daughter  (jf  Samuel  Craft,  born  June  3, 
1800,  in  Lycoming  count)',  Pennsylvania, 
and  who  died  March  8,  1872.  By  trade  he 
was  a  miller,  but  followed  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer  for  many  years.  He  was  quite 
prominent  in  his  county  and  served  some 
years  as  constable  and  sheriff.  He  was  the 
son  of  William  Craft,  who  married  .Sarah 
Alward,  whose  mother  was  Priscilla  Taylor, 
a  native  of  England.  Samuel  Craft  spent 
his  entire  life  in  Pennsylvania,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  four  years  in  \'irginia,  at  the 
time  Mrs.  (iray  was  born. 

To  Daniel  and  Jerusha  Buck  were  born 
five  children  :  (i)  Alfred  married  Mary 
Josephine  Simmons,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  li\ing,  Sarah  E., 
Glenn,  Cora,  Flora  B.,  Walter  W.  and 
Roy.  He  is  engaged  in  farming  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  old  home  farm  on  section  4.  (2) 
Ellis  was  a  member  of  Company  B,  Eighth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  died  at  Harwood  Hos- 
pital, Washington,  D.  C,  April  28,  18G4, 
from  typhoid  fever.  (3)  Nesbitt  died  in 
i860,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  (4) 
George  married  Mary  Flick  and  resides  on 
section  5,  a  portion  of  his  mother's  farm. 
He  is  the  present  township  assessor.  (5) 
Charles  died  in  infancy. 

In  1849  Daniel  Buck  camewith  his  fam- 
ily to  De  Kalb  county  and  located  on  sec- 
tion 4,  Genoa  township.  Two  years  before 
he  brought  his  family  here  he  purchased 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which 
he  afterwards  sold,  but  from  time  to  time 
purchased  other  tracts  until  his  farm  com- 
prised five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  to- 
gether with  ten  acres  of  timber,  .\fter  a 
useful  life  he  died  March  3,  1873. 

After    his    second    marriage     Mr.    Gray 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


4i>3 


purchased  a  mountain  tract  and  followed 
lumbering  for  some  years.  In  1882  he  sold 
his  Pennsylvania  home  an^J  catne  to  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  has  since  been 
living  upon  the  farm  of  his  wife  on  section 
4.  .Although  he  has  lived  in  the  county 
comparatively  a  short  time  he  is  well  known 
and  highlj'  respected. 


ALPHA  J.  COSTER,  of  Hinckley,  Illi- 
nois, is  a  representative  of  the  younger 
business  men  and  farmers  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. He  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres,  a  part  of  which  lies  within 
the  village  limits  of  Hinckley,  Squaw  (jrove 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, born  on  the  old  homestead,  and  in  the 
house  where  he  now  resides,  March  30, 
1865.  and  is  the  son  of  J.  C.  Coster,  one  of 
the  honored  old  settlers  and  substantial 
men  of  the  county,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  On  the  old  farm 
he  grew  to  manhood,  and  as  his  age  per- 
mitted, assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
farm,  and  in  farm  work  generally.  His 
primary  education  was  obtained  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Hinckley,  and  later  he  at- 
tended a  seminary  at  Sugar  Grove,  Kane 
county. 

After  completing  his  studies  Mr.  Coster 
resumed  work  upon  the  home  farm,  and  as- 
sisted his  father  until  he  arrived  at  mature 
years.  He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Hinck- 
ley, February  23,  1892,  to  Miss  Effie  .May 
Sebree,  a  daughter  of  W.  M.  Sebree,  one 
of  the  honored  pioneers  and  now  the  oldest 
living  resident  of  De  Kalb  county  (see  sketch 
of  Mr.  Sebree  elsewhere  in  this  worki.  Mrs. 
Coster  was  reared  in  Squaw  Gro\e  town- 
ship, and  received  her  education  in  the 
schools  of    Hinckley    and  Aurora,    Illinois. 


She  took  a  thorough  commercial  course  and 
training  in  Aurora,  and  was  bookkeeper  for 
the  Hinckley  Creamery  Company  for  three 
years  previous  to  her  marriage 

After  marriage  Mr.  Coster  rented  a  por- 
tion of  the  old  home  farm,  located  there, 
and  at  once  commenced  life  for  himself. 
Three  years  later  he  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  of  the  place,  including  the  old  home 
residence.  In  addition  to  general  farm- 
ing he  was  engaged  in  the  dairy  business 
for  eleven  years,  and,  since  1895,  has 
been  engaged  in  running  a  milk  wagon,  sup- 
plying the  people  of  Hinckley  with  milk. 
and  has  worked  up  a  nice  trade  in  this  line. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coster  have  one  son,  Don- 
ald Redfield.  In  politics  Mr.  Coster  has 
been  a  Republican  since  attaining  his  ma- 
jority. Office  holding  has  no  charm  for 
him,  but  he  has  served  one  term  as  trustee 
of  the  village  of  Hinckley.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  -Mason,  holding  membership  with  the 
blue  lodge  at  Hinckley,  the  chapter  at  Sand- 
wich, and  the  commandery  at  Aurora,  Illi- 
nois. He  and  his  wife  are  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  Coster  is 
past  master  of  Hinckley  lodge,  while  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodtnen  of 
.America.  He  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
farmers  in  Squaw  Grove  township,  and  is  u 
man  of  good  business  ability,  sterling  char- 
acter and  worth,  and  he  and  his  wife  stand 
high  socially  in  the  community  which  has 
been  t^'eir  home  during  their  entire  lives. 


DR.  JOHN  C.  DA\ID.  physician  and 
surgeon.  Sandwich,  Illinois,  is  well 
known  throughout  De  Kalb  and  adjoining 
counties  as  a  physician  of  acknowledged 
skill  and  ability.  The  world  has  little  use 
for  the   misanthrope.      The   universal   truth 


484 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


of  brotherhood  is  widely  recognized,  also 
that  he  serves  God  best  who  serves  his  fel- 
lowmen.  There  is  no  profession  or  line  of 
business  that  calls  for  greater  self-sacrifice 
or  more  devoted  attention  than  the  medical 
profession,  and  the  successful  physician  is 
he  who,  through  love  of  his  fellowmen, 
gives  his  time  and  attention  to  the  relief  of 
suffering  humanit\\ 

Dr.  David  was  born  in  Carbondale, 
Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  December 
5,  1S48,  and  is  the  son  of  James  B.  and 
Caroline  (Snider)  David,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  New 
York.  The  father  was  a  mechanic  and  for 
some  years  was  engaged  in  the  tannery  bus- 
iness and  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages. 
He  was  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  pleasant 
and  affable,  and  had  many  wartn  friends  bv 
whom  he  was  honored  with  various  local 
offices,  including  sheriff  of  his  county.  Re- 
ligiously he  was  a  Presbyterian.  In  1S55 
he  came  to  Newark,  Kendall  county,  Illinois, 
with  his  family,  and  there  resided  a  short 
time,  then  moved  to  a  farm  and  later  to 
Sandwich,  Illinois,  where  his  death  occurred 
about  i86S,  at  the  age  of  si.xty-three  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  many  years,  dying 
when  eighty-six  years  old.  She  was  a  great 
lover  of  home,  reared  a  large  family  and 
was  an  excellent  woman  in  every  respect, 
her  only  desire  being  that  she  might  be  a 
mother  in  a  quiet,  happy  home.  She  wa.', 
a  sweet-spirited  woman,  with  an  irresistible 
influence  for  all   that   was   noble    and  good. 

To  James  B.  and  Caroline  David  ten 
children  were  born,  one  of  whom,  Emily, 
died  at  the  age  of  four  months.  The  others 
are  all  yet  living  :  Dr.  D.  R.  is  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  dentistry  at  Sandwich,  Illi- 
nois. Eudora  is  the  widow  of  Norman 
Criswold,    of    Sandwich.      Oliver  is  a  me- 


chanic residing  in  Oliphant,  Pennsylvania. 
Almira  is  the  widow  of  George  Robinson 
and  resides  m.  California.  Harriet  is  the 
widow  of  John  Rice  and  resides  in 
Buchanan,  Michigan.  Caroline  is  the  wife 
of  James  Flood  and  resides  in  Michigan 
City,  Indiana.  Bradford  resides  in  Fulton, 
Whiteside  county,  Illinois.  Emma  is  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Elson,  and  resides  in  Berrien 
Springs,  Michigan.  John  C,  our  subject, 
completes  the  family. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  on 
the  home  farm  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  came  to  Sandwich,  Illinois,  which 
has  since  continued  to  be  his  home.  He 
began  to  read  medicine  under  Dr.  Clark,  of 
Sandwich,  and  later  attended  Hahnemann 
^fedical  College,  at  Chicago,  an. I  was  grad- 
uated in  the  i  lass  of  1876.  For  two  years 
prior  to  his  graduation,  he  engaged  in  prac- 
tice, being  called  to  the  assistance  of  his 
preceptor,  who  was  in  ill  health,  and  he 
was  detained  longer  than  he  supposed  was 
necessary,  and  therefore  could  not  get  away 
in  order  that  he  might  complete  his  course. 
For  some  years  he  was  engaged  alone  in 
practice,  and  then  for  four  year^  was  in 
partnership  with  Dr.  Culver,  and  they  en- 
gaged n  practice  under  the  firm  name  of 
David  &  Culver,  but  in  1S98  the  partner- 
ship was  di  solved,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  alone. 

Dr.  David  was  united  in  marr  age  i  1 
1892  with  Miss  Mae  Stone,  of  Chicago,  but 
from  Syracuse,  New  York.  Her  parents 
were  English  people.  Both  the  Doctor  and 
his  w,fe  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery,  also  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Chi- 
cago. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  As 
a  physician  he  is  well  read  and  stands  high 


THI-:    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


485 


in  his  profession.  In  his  various  relations 
of  domestic,  civil  and  profession;il  life,  his 
actions  have  been  characterized  by  the  same 
intelligence  and  cordiality,  which  have  de- 
servedly gained  for  him  a  good  name  and  a 
high  position  in  the  regard  of  his  fe  low  cit- 
izens. 


JOHN  W.  HLEK,  attorney  ;uul  banker, 
and  also  president  of  the  Western  Sup- 
ply Company,  ot  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  resides  in 
the  city  of  Sandwich.  IlliiKMs.  He  was  born 
in  Montour  county,  Pennsylvania,  Septem- 
ber 29,  1S49,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  M. 
and  Euphemia  H.  (Sproule)  Blee,  both  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  farmer  in  Pennsylvania,  which  occu- 
pation he  continued  after  his  settlement  in 
Illinois,  in  1S54.  On  coming  to  the  state  he 
located  in  Wyoming  township,  Lee  county, 
where  he  made  his  home  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  His  death  was  caused  by  an 
accident  received  in  a  runaway.  Few  men 
were  better  known  throughout  Lee  and  ad- 
joining counties.  For  many  years  he  was 
an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  A 
friend  of  education,  he  was  on  the  school 
board  nearly  all  his  life  and  had  much  to  do 
with  educational  affairs  in  the  neighborhood 
where  he  resided.  A  strong  Democrat  in 
his  political  \iews,  he  had  great  iiillueiice  in 
the  counsels  of  his  party.  He  was  in  the 
convention  that  nominated  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  for  president  in  1S60.  He  was 
very  active  in  his  way,  was  a  hne  conversa- 
tionalist and  a  great  favorite  with  children. 
He  was  born  March  12,  1818,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 16,  1873.  His  widow  is  still  li\in.L;  in 
Santa  Anna,  California,  and  was  seventy- 
nine  years  old  May  ^o,  1898.  Her  powers 
of  body  and  mind  are  well  preserved.    She  is 


a  lifelong  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  has  always  been  active  in  church  and 
benevolent  work.  Her  grandfather  Sproule 
came  to  this  country  in  1770,  as  a  young 
man,  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business.  He  mar- 
ried Euphemia  Marshall,  a  relative  of  Chief 
Justice  Marshall.  The  maternal  grandfather 
of  our  subject  served  in  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution and  from  silver  earned  as  a  soldier 
he  had  a  spoon  manufactured,  which  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  our  subject  and  was 
made  about  1787.  Of  the  four  children 
born  to  Joseph  M.  and  Euphemia  H.  Blee, 
Teressa  A.  is  the  wife  of  W.  C.  Bryant  and 
resides  in  Santa  Anna,  California.  Charles 
M.  resides  in  Los  Angeles,  California. 
James  H.  resides  on  the  old  home  farm  in 
Lee  county,  Illinois.  John  W.  is  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch. 

On  the  home  farm  in  Lee  county,  our 
subject  spent  his  boyhood  and  }Outh.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  offered  his  services  to  his 
country,  but  on  account  of  his  youth  was 
rejected.  In  1865  he  entered  the  academy 
at  Mendota,  Illinois,  where  he  si)ent  three 
years  in  preparation  for  college.  He  then 
entered  the  University  of  Chicago,  which  he 
attended  two  years,  after  which  he  began 
teaching  and  doing  newspaper  work,  at  the 
same  time  pursuing  his  studies  in  civil 
engineering,  which  was  the  first  professional 
studying  he  did.  He  followed  engineering 
for  one  year  under  the  city  engineer  of 
Chicago,  and  was  later  on  the  construction 
work  of  a  railroad.  On  account  of  physical 
disability,  he  was  comi)elled  to  abandon 
that  profession,  and  in  the  spring  of  1872 
began  the  study  of  law,  entering  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1S74.      He   then  applied   and  was  admitted 


486 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  practice  before  the  supreme  court  of 
Illinois,  in  June,  1874.  The  same  year  he 
engaged  in  practice  in  Chicago  where  he 
continued  four  j'ears,  then  returned  to  his 
old  home  in  Lee  county,  where  he  remained 
until  1 880  engaged  in  active  practice,  and 
then  opened  an  office  in  Earlville,  Illinois, 
and  the  same  year  entered  the  service  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  Railroad 
as  real  estate  and  right-of-way  attorney,  con- 
tinning  with  that  road  and  others  until  1892, 
when  he  was  appointed  special  examiner 
and  attorney  (or  the  department  of  the 
currency  by  Hon.  James  H.  Eckels, 
who  was  comptroller  of  the  currency 
under  President  Cleveland.  His  chief 
took  the  position  a  comparatively  un- 
known man,  but  left  it  after  the  expiration 
of  his  four  years  term  one  of  the  best  known 
financiers  in  the  United  States.  He  is  now 
president  of  the  Commercial  National  Bank, 
of  Chicago,  ^^'ith  Mr.  Eckels,  our  subject 
served  during  his  entire  term,  and  traveled 
nearly  one  hundred  and  ninetv  thousand 
miles  by  rail,  visiting  and  looking  after  in- 
sohent  banks,  his  work  being  largely  in 
that  line. 

Mr.  Blee  has  never  held  an  elective 
office,  but  made  a  very  good  canvass  in 
1886,  as  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the 
state  senate  in  the  Nineteenth  senatcjrial 
district  against  Hon.  |ohn  D.  Crabtree,  and 
in  1890  was  a  candidate  for  congress  in  the 
Seventh  Illinois  district,  against  Hon.  T.  |. 
Henderson,  of  Princeton.  He  was  defeated 
in  both  instances,  as  the  districts  were  over- 
whelmingly Republican,  but  he  made  a  good 
race,  however.  He  has  ever  been  acti\e  as 
a  campaigner,  and  in  the  councils  of  his 
party  his  views  always  command  respect. 
He  served  as  a  delegate  in  every  Democratic 
state  convention  from   1874  to    1894,  inclu- 


sive, and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
national  convention  of  1884,  and  an  alter- 
nate in  the  same-in  1888  and  1892.  After 
entering  the  United  States  service  he  was 
not  so  active  in  political  affairs,  owing  to 
his  duties  as  a  national  administrative 
officer.  His  life  work  has  been  of  a  very 
diverse  character,  and  he  is  now  engaged  in 
promoting  some  extensive  railroad  improve- 
ments and  assisting  in  investments  for  New 
York  and  Chicago  capitalists  in  the  vicinity 
of  Peoria,   Illinois. 

Mr.  Blee  was  united  in  marriage  No- 
\ember  17,  1887,  with  Miss  Helen  M.  In- 
gersoU,  daughter  of  Cornelius  J.  and  Esther 
L.  (Waterman)  Ingersoll,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Oneida  county.  New  York, 
hut  who  were  married  at  Lisbon,  Illinois, 
where  they  resided  on  a  farm,  until  the 
father's  death  in  1S67.  Soon  after  the 
death  of  the  father,  the  mother  moved  with 
her  family  to  Sandwich,  where  she  is  yet 
living,  a  devout  and  conscientious  member 
of  the  Congregational  church.  Mrs.  Blee's 
only  sister  is  Harriet,  wife  of  I.  M.  Cooper, 
of  Sandwich,  while  her  eldest  brother,  E. 
L.  Ingersoll,  resides  in  Sandwich,  and 
Charles  at  Fairbur\-,  Nebraska,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  Rock  Island  Railway  service. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blee  two  children  were 
born,  twins,  Cerald  J.  and  Cladys  E. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Blee  is  a  Mason,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  blue  lodge,  chapter 
and  comniandery,  and  also  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  While  not  members, 
he  and  his  wife  are  attendants  and  active 
supporters  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  As 
a  business  man  he  possesse  ■  superior  (]ua!i- 
fications,  and  in  the  many  positions  in  which 
he  has  been  called  to  fill,  he  has  exhibited 
an  executi\c  ability  that  justifies  the  conli- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


487 


<lence  reposed  in  hini.  He  is  active  and 
enthusiastic,  a  hard  and  zealous  worker  in 
what  he  undertakes,  and  is  one  of  Sand- 
wich's most  his:;hly  esteemed  and  valued 
citizens.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  residences 
in  Sandwich,  and  w.th  a  wife,  who  is  a  lady 
of  culture  and  pleasing  presence,  and  chil- 
dren who  are  the  parents'  joy  and  pride,  it 
may  be  said  that  he  has  a  model,  happy 
home. 


JOHX  D.  ROBERTS,  one  of  De  Kalb 
county's  highly  prosperous  and  success- 
ful farmers,  is  the  owner  of  over  twehe 
hundred  acres  of  valuable  farm  land  in  the 
township  of  Clinton,  resides  in  the  township 
of  Afton,  where  he  gives  his  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  cultivation  of  eight  hundred  and 
thirty-two  acres  of  choice  farm  property 
which  is  located  on  sections  30,  31  and  32, 
the  property  of  his  wife  and  her  two  sons. 
Mr.  Roberts  was  born  July  7,  1850,  in 
the  township  of  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Jones 
farm.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, Humphrey  Roberts,  Sr. ,  was  a  native 
Wales,  and  there  married  Mary  Owens,  and 
in  1S32  came  to  the  United  States,  settling 
in  Oneida  county.  New  York,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  June,  1S54.  His  wife 
survived  some  years,  and  died  in  Wyoming 
county,  New  York,  December  28,  1867. 
They  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  Humphrey,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  the  youngest.  The  latter  was  but  nine 
years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents across  the  water,  and  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Oneida  county.  New  York,  remain- 
ing with  his  parents  until  after  he  reached 
his  majority.  He  was  married  in  Oneida 
county,  January  7,  1846,  and  about  one  year 


later  came  west,  locating  in  Sugar  Grove 
township,  Kane  county.  Illinois,  where  he 
followed  farming  for  ten  years.  In  1857  he 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and  settled  upon 
a  <]uarter  section  of  land  in  Clinton  town- 
ship, which  he  had  purchased  some  si.\  years 
previously.  For  twenty-tive  years  he  re- 
mained upon  that  farm,  then  built  a  fine 
residence  in  Waterman,  Illinois,  and  remov- 
ing to  that  village  he  lived  a  retired  life. 
He  was  one  of  Illinois'  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens, a  man  who  led  an  active  life,  and 
whose  well  known  integrity  and  established 
reputation  won  for  him  the  regard  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  knew  him.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  assisted  the  war  department 
materially  in  securing  recruits  and  organiz- 
ing companies,  and  his  services  in  this  re- 
spect won  for  him  the  recognition  and  praise 
of  those  in  authority.  He  became  a  very- 
prosperous  man,  and  a  large  land  owner, 
the  village  of  Waterman  being  platted  on 
land  which  he  formerly  owned.  His  death 
occurred  in  the  village  of  Waterman  in 
1 887.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Catherine  Jones, 
an  estimable  lady,  a  native  of  Oneida  coun- 
ty. New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Jones,  a  leading  business  man  of  that  coun- 
ty. She  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  and  died 
in  1897,  at  her  home  in  Waterman. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  with  his  parents  and  their 
family  of  six  children.  He  was  then  a  lad 
of  nine  years,  and  at  the  neighboring  schools 
in  the  country  he  received  his  elementary' 
education,  which,  judging  from  his  success- 
ful life,  he  has  made  the  best  use.  Farm- 
ing has  been  his  life  work,  although  about 
1 87*  he  abandoned  farm  life  and  its  duties 
for  a  time  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness at  Waterman,  which  he  successfully 
conducted   for   two  years.      At  the   end   of 


488 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


that  time  he  sold  out  the  lumber  yard,  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Clinton  township,  to  which 
he  removed  and  began  its  cultivation.  From 
time  to  time  he  added  to  his  possessions, 
until  he  has  now  over  twelve  hundred  acres 
in  Clinton  township,  comprising  five  highly 
improved  farms.  He  deals  extensively  in 
horses  and  cattle,  and  his  excellent  and  dis- 
cerning judgment  in  this  line  has  enabled  him 
to  build  up  a  business  of  more  than  ordinary 
pretentions. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1895,  Mr.  Rob- 
erts married  Mrs.  Belle  Broughton,  lu'c 
Beers,  the  widow  of  Chauncey  W.  Brough- 
ton, and  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary 
A.  Beers,  l^y  her  first  marriage  she  has 
two  children,  Charles  B.,  who  is  employed 
in  one  of  the  offices  of  Swift  &  Company  of 
Chicago,  and  Chauncey  W. ,  Jr.,  at  home. 
On  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Broughton,  he 
removed  from  Clinton  to  Afton  township,  to 
look  after  the  farm  property  of  his  wife, 
amounting  to  eight  hundred  and  thirty-two 
acres  of  excellent  and  well  improved  land. 
By  a  former  marriage  Mr.  Roberts  has  two 
children,  \\'ilder  Humphery  and  Grace  M. 
The  former  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  in  Clinton  township,  while  the  latter 
is  engaged  in  the  millinery  business  in  \\-a- 
terman. 

Mr.  Ivoberts  has  all  through  life  been  an 
unflinching  and  stanch  Republican,  voting 
at  all  times  for  the  nominee  of  the  part}', 
national,  state  and  county.  He  has  never 
indicated  his  desire  to  hold  office,  his  many 
interests  occupying  his  time  and  attention. 
However,  by  reason  of  his  knowledge  of  val- 
ues of  both  real  and  personal  property,  he 
was  prevailed  upon  to  serve  as  assessor  of 
his  township  a  term  of  years  and  filled  that 
position  satisfactorily  to  all  concerned,  and 


has  been  school  director  for  twenty-si.\  years, 
and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity. 

Mr.  Roberts  is  in  every  respect  a  self- 
made  man,  and  what  he  possesses  is  the  di- 
rect result  of  hard  work,  persevering  efforts, 
an  indomitable  will,  a  natural  and  inborn 
estimate  of  values,  coupled  with  e.xcellent 
jndgnient  in  mercantile  and  business  affairs, 
i^orn  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Kane, 
reared  and  living  all  his  life  in  the  county  of 
Ue  Kalb,  Mr.  Roberts  has  witnessed  the 
various  phases  of  transformation,  which 
have  converted  the  wild  fields  of  prairie  into 
that  fertility  and  productiveness  to  be  seen 
on  every  hand  and  has  contributed  his  efforts 
to  bring  about  that  wonderful  change. 


JOHN  WATSON,  who  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  in  February,  1857,  and  who  for 
years  was  actively  engaged  in  farming,  is 
now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Shab- 
bona.  He  was  born  near  Boyleston,  Wor- 
cester county,  Massachusetts,  August  9, 
1833,  and  is  the  son  of  John  Watson,  Sr., 
also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in 
Princeton,  and  the  grandson  of  Colonel 
Jacob  Watson,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  a  young  man 
and  who  served  as  a  colonel  in  the  war  of 
i,Si2.  John  Watson,  Sr. ,  grew  to  manhood 
in  Princeton,  Massachusetts,  and  there 
learned  the  tanner  and  currier  trade,  but 
later  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
a  business  which  he  carried  on  extensively 
for  some  years.  He  was  married  in  Prince- 
ton to  Miss  Harriet  Esterbrook,  also  a  na- 
tive of  the  Bay  state,  .\fter  living  an  active 
business  life  he  was  called  to  his  reward  in 
1842.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  Wor- 
cester county,  which  he  represented   in   the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


489 


legislature  of  his  state  for  one  term.  His 
wife  survived  him  some  j'ears.  The\-  had  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  three  (laughters,  of 
whom  our  subject  and  one  of  his  sisters, 
Mary  A.,  wife  of  C.  J.  Parker,  of  Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts,  are  the  only  survivors. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  where 
he  received  a  limited  education.  In  his 
youth  he  learned  the  cutter's  trade  in  a  boot 
and  shoe  manufactory  and  followed  that 
trade  a  number  of  years.  He  was  foreman 
of  the  shop  at  Millbury,  Massachusetts,  for 
four  years  and  had  the  entire  charge  of  the 
cutting  department.  At  Bolton,  Massachu- 
setts, he  engaged  in  the  same  trade  for  one 
year.  In  1857  he  came  west  and  joined  a 
brother.  William  Watson,  who  located  in 
Shabbona  township,  De  Kalb  county,  some 
two  or  three  years  pre\iously.  On  his  ar- 
rival he  rented  a  farm  in  Shabbona  town- 
ship and  for  five  years  was  a  renter,  during 
which  time  he  succeeded  in  accumulating  a 
little  money,  and  in  i860  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  unimproved  land 
on  section  28,  Milan  township.  He  at 
once  began  its  improvement  and,  as  his 
means  increased,  added  to  the  area  of  the 
farm  until  it  comprised  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  He  also  ac(iuired  another 
half  section,  which  later  he  sold.  For  some 
years  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  farm 
land,  as  the  opportunity  presented  itself,  in 
which  he  felt  sure  of  a  reasonable  profit  in 
the  investment.  He  also  engaged  in  buj'ing 
and  shipping  stock,  in  w  hich  line  of  business 
he  continued  a  few  years.  In  1881  he 
moved  to  the  village  of  Shabbona,  where  he 
continued  for  a  time  to  deal  in  stock  and 
also  to  some  e.xtent  in  real  estate.  Since 
his  removal  to  the  village,  in  addition  to  his 
dwelling  house,  he  has  erected  a  large  busi- 


ness house  and  hotel,  which  he  still  nwns. 
In  all  probability  he  has  done  as  much  as 
any  other  man  in  improving  and  develop- 
ing the  village,  and  has  stimulated  its 
industries  by  loaning  money  to  various 
parties  for  building  and  other  purposes. 

In  October,  1856,  Mr.  Watson  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Worcester,  Massa- 
chusetts, to  Miss  Emily  E.  Joslyn,  a  native 
of  Connecticut,  but  reared  in  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  and  a  daughter  of  Albro 
Joslyn,  who  died  when  she  was  a  child. 
By  this  union  there  are  nine  children:  El- 
len E.  is  the  wife  of  Wells  F.  Spencer,  a 
farmer  of  Clinton  township,  De  Kalb  coun- 
tv.  Charles  E.  is  married,  and  is  engaged 
in  business  in  Rockford,  Illinois.  Martha 
J.  is  the  wife  of  Walter  Wilson,  and  they 
reside  on  the  Watson  farm  in  Milan  town- 
ship. Mary  is  a  well-educated  lady,  and  is 
engaged  in  teaching  in  De  Kalb  county. 
Frank  S.  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
vears:  William  at  seventeen;  Lillie  A.  at 
twenty;  John  A.  at  nineteen,  and  Flossie 
when  two  years  old. 

Politically  Mr.  Watson  was  formerly 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
for  the  past  five  years  has  been  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Prohibition  party.  In  1896 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention 
at  Springfield  and  was  also  a  delegate  to 
the  convention  at  Peoria  in  1898.  By  h\?. 
fellow  citizens  he  has  been  honored  with 
various  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  serv- 
ing as  school  director  for  years  and  as 
township  trustee  six  years  while  residing  in 
the  country.  Since  his  removal  to  the  vil- 
lage he  has  served  on  the  village  board  for 
six  years  as  trustee.  He  is  well  known 
throughout  the  county  as  a  man  of  sterl- 
ing character,  one  in  whom  the  people 
can  trust. 


490 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


EDWARD  F.  LEDOYT,  who  is  efficiently 
serving  as  postmaster  of  Sandwich,  Illi- 
nois, traces  his  ancestry  back  several  gen- 
erations, being  a  descendant  of  one  of  five 
brothers  who  came  from  France  with  La 
Fayette  and  served  with  him  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  locating  at  its  close  in  Holland, 
Massachusetts.  His  father  is  a  descendant 
of  the  M^ebbers,  one  of  whom  was  the  first 
governor  of  \'irginia.  On  his  mother's  side 
he  is  from  the  Hamilton  family,  the  re- 
nowned Alexander  Hamilton  being  a  rela- 
tive. 

Edward  1'".  Ledo\t  was  born  in  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois,  June  30,  1864,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Louisa  (Howe)  Ledoyt,  the 
former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Massachusetts.  In  1858,  the  father 
with  his  family  located  on  a  farm  north  of 
Sandwich,  and  for  some  years  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  now  and  has 
been  for  some  years,  foreman  of  the  mold- 
ing department  of  the  Sandwich  Manufact- 
uring Company.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  Mutual  Aid  Society,  and 
religiously  he  is  a  Congregationalist,  his 
wife  being  a  member  of  the  same  church. 
Of  their  four  children,  our  subject  is  the 
oldest.  Emma  Louisa  is  now  the  wife  of 
C.  M.  Yearley,  a  merchant  residing  in  East 
Galesburg,  Illinois.  Everett  J.  is  the  man- 
ager of  a  store  in  Sandwich.  Eva  May  is 
deputy  postmistress  at  Sandwich.  When 
our  subject  was  but  three  years  of  age,  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Milford,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  returned  with  them  to  Sand- 
wich three  years  later.  In  the  public  schools 
of  Sandwich  he  received  his  education,  and 
in  his  youth  learned  the  trade  of  molder, 
which  he  followed  four  years.  He  then 
went  into  business,  running  a  news  stand  in 
the    postoffice    building,   and    under    G.  H. 


Robertson  was  made  assistant  postmaster, 
serving  with  him  two  years.  On  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.  Robertson,  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  Jayco.x  he  was  continued  as  as- 
sistant postmaster  and  served  with  him  four 
years,  during  which  time  he  continued  his 
mercantile  business.  For  six  years  he  was 
city  clerk  of  Sandwich,  and  was  thus  engaged 
during  the  building  of  the  electric  light  plant 
and  the  improvements  made  in  paving  the 
streets.  On  the  7th  of  February,  1898,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Sandwich  and 
look  posession  of  the  office,  April  i,  iSgS. 
l'"or  the  transaction  of  the  business  of  the 
office  he  has  two  assistants.  Miss  Evt;  May 
Ledoyt  and  Winifred  Haymond,  two  of  the 
most  accommodating  and  efficient  assistants 
found  in  the  state. 

In  addition  to  the  duties  devolving  upon 
him  as  postmaster,  Mr.  Ledoyt  carries  on  a 
general  bakery  and  restaurant,  keeping  a 
neat  and  attractive  stock  in  a  building  of 
which  he  is  the  owner.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  but  takes  no  specially  active  part 
in  the  work  of  his  lodge.  He  has  been  act- 
ive in  politics  since  attaining  his  majority, 
and  was  secretary  of  the  Republican  county 
central  committee  for  six  years,  when  he 
resigned.  As  a  delegate  he  attends  the 
various  county  and  state  con\entions,  and 
was  among  the  number  that  attended  the 
state  convention  in  June,  1898,  with  nomi- 
nated candidates  for  the  various  state  offices. 
He  was  a  delegate  and  voted  for  Joseph  F'i- 
fer,  when  he  was  nominated  for  governor 
of  Illinois.  He  is  one  of  the  busy,  ener- 
getic men  of  the  county,  and  is  a  man  of 
rare  ability,  being  public-spirited  and  lib- 
eral in  his  views  and  actions.  He  has  done 
much  toward  the  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides,  and  is  justly  rec- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


491 


ognized  as  a  representative  citizen.  As 
postmaster  he  is  accommodating  and  effi- 
cient, never  giving  the  patrons  of  the  office 
just  cause  for  complaint.  He  impresses  a 
stranger  as  a  man  of  good  business  qualifi- 
cations, and  in  short  the  right  man  in  the 
right  place. 


THOMAS  J.  WRIGHT,  banker  and 
hardware  merchant  of  Somonauk,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Genesee  county,  New 
York,  August  24,  1830,  and  is  the  son  of 
Levi  and  Arathusa  (Brigham)  Wright,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  \'ermont.  By  oc- 
cupation Levi  Wright  was  a  farmer,  and 
gave  almost  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
farming  interests,  although  he  at  times  held 
office.  In  1S43,  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Illinois,  and  located  in  La  Salle  county,  his 
farm,however,extending  into  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. He  bought  a  tract  of  government  land, 
and  also  eighty  acres  which  had  been  en- 
tered by  another  person.  This  land  is  now 
owned  bj-  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
Wright  family  lived  in  the  Genesee  river 
valley  for  a  time,  and  later  moved  to  Mon- 
roe county.  New  York,  before  coming  west. 
He  was  a  pioneer  in  this  part  of  the  state, 
and  was  a  man  of  e.xcellent  business  qualifi- 
cations, well  known  and  highly  respected 
among  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  served 
in  the  war  of  iSi:;,  and  was  taken  prisoner, 
but  never  e.Kchanged.  For  services  ren- 
dered in  that  war  he  received  a  pension. 
After  his  removal  to  La  Salle  county,  Illi- 
nois, he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  for  more  than  fifteen  years. 
His  death  occurred  November  2,  1865,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  He  was 
twice  married,  and  by  his  union  with  Ara- 
thusa Brigham,  there  were  si.x  children,  as 

24 


follows:  Charles  S.,  a  resident  of  Monroe 
county.  New  York;  Stephen  I).,  a  retired 
farmer  residing  in  Somonauk;  Andrew  J., 
who  resides  at  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa ;  Clarissa, 
wife  of  George  Bark,  a  farmer  of  De  Kalb 
county;  Louisa,  wife  of  William  Bark,  of 
De  Kalb  count}-;  and  Thomas  J.,  our  sub- 
ject. His  second  marriage  was  with  Esther 
Whitmore.  By  this  marriage  there  were 
six  children. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools 
both  in  New  York  and  Illinois.  He  was  but 
thirteen  years  old  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  this  state,  and  since  that  time 
his  entire  life  has  been  spent  here.  He 
knows  much  of  the  hardships  and  depriva- 
tions incident  to  pioneer  life.  From  1843 
to  1880,  he  continued  on  the  farm,  and  was 
a  very  successful  farmer.  In  the  latter  year 
he  removed  to  Somonauk,  and  commenced 
the  banking  business,  which  he  has  followed 
until  the  present  time.  While  a  private 
bank,  it  is  organized  with  C.  \'.  Stevens,  as 
president;  Thomas  J.  Wright,  cashier;  and 
W.  H.  Wright,  assistant  cashier.  The  first 
president  was  John  Clark,  and  during  his 
administration  our  subject  was  vice-presi- 
dent. On  the  death  of  Mr.  Clark  in  1891, 
the  bank  was  re-organized,  since  which  time 
Mr.  Wright  has  been  cashier. 

Mr.  Wright  was  married  in  March,  1856, 
to  Miss  Lois  M.  Gage,  a  daughter  of  Alvarus 
and  Eucla  (Brigham)  Gage.  The  former 
died  in  Somonauk,  in  1887,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  His  wife  died  January 
26,  1898,  at  the  age  of  ninety- two  years. 
They  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  for  many  years.  Mrs. 
Wright  is  the  only  survivor  of  their  four 
children.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  four 
children    have   been     born,  as   follows:    (i) 


49^ 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Ellen  D.  is  the  wife  of  C.  E.  Hess,  who 
resides  in  Somonauk.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Lucille  and  lone.  (2)  William  H.  is 
the  assistant  cashier  of  the  bank  at  Somon- 
auk. He  married  Nettie  Moore,  who  departed 
this  life  in  1889.  He  is  also  mayor  of 
Somonauk,  and  was  city  clerk  several  years. 
(3)  Edward  resides  on  the  home  farm,  which 
consists  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 
He  married  .Anna  M.  Hunt,  and  has  two 
children,  Raymond  and  Ethel  Orlean.  (4) 
Clara  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Edgett,  and  they 
reside  at  Earlville,  Illinois.  They  have  one 
child,  Paul  Wright. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Wright  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  holding  membership  in 
blue  lodge  and  chapter.  In  politics  he  is 
independent,  voting  for  the  men  he  con- 
siders best  qualified  to  fill  the  various  offices. 
For  many  years  he  was  connected  with  the 
school  board,  and  also  town  treasurer  for 
four  years  continuously.  He  is  quite  active 
in  public  affairs,  and  takes  a  commendable 
interest  in  all  matters  affecting  the  welfare 
of  his  town  and  county.  For  several  years 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors,  and  in  every  position  held  it  is 
needless  to  say  that  he  discharged  the  duties 
incumbent  on  him  with  his  customary 
efficiency,  thereby  strengthening  the  already 
high  regard  universally  entertained  for  him, 
by  thoseiwho  knew  him  as  an  honest,  upright 
and  thorough-going  business  man,  deservedly 
held  high  in  esteem  by  all. 


HUGH  McQueen,  deceased,  was  for 
about  thirty  years  a  well  known  citi- 
zen of  South  Grove  township.  He  was 
born  in  the  lowlands  of  Scotland,  about 
twelves  miles  from  Ayr,  the  home  of  Robert 
Burns,  July  29,   1S29,  and   was  the   son   of 


Francis  and  Mary  (McMillen)  McQueen, 
both  also  natives  of  Scotland  and  who  were 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Hugh  and 
Peter.  When  but  three  years  old  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  died,  and  when  ten  years 
old  he  commenced  life  for  himself,  working 
as  a  day  laborer  on  farms,  at  which  occupa- 
tion he  continued  for  some  years.  Through 
the  aid  of  friends  he  recei\'ed  a  fair  educa- 
tion and  later  became  a  well  informed  man. 
.\t  the  early  age  of  eighteen  years  he  was 
united  in  marriage  June  7,  1847,  '"  -Ayr- 
shire, to  Jane  McKenzie,  a  native  of  the 
same  shire,  born  June  25,  1827,  and  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Ellen  (Key)  McKenzie, 
who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  country, 
and  the  parents  of  si.\  children:  John,  Will- 
iam, Mary,  Jane,  Ellen  and  Isabella.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McQueen  ten  children  were 
born,  three  of  whom  are  deceased.  The 
living  are:  John,  Hugh,  Jr.,  Mary,  Ellen, 
(2nd)  Frank,  Jane  -and  William  A.  The 
deceased  are:  Jane,  Elizabeth  and  Ellen. 
F"or  about  twenty  years  after  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  McQueen  engaged  in  the  brick 
and  tile  trade  in  his  native  country.  He 
then  determined  to  come  to  America  and 
in  August.  1867,  sailed  with  his  family  from 
Glasgow,  and  landed  at  New  York.  They 
at  once  came  direct  to  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  where  the  parents  of  Mrs.  McQueen 
had  settled  some  years  previously.  After 
living  upon  rented  land  for  about  four  years, 
Mr.  McQueen  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  at  once  commenced  life  in 
earnest,  improving  the  estate,  and  from 
time  to  time  making  additions  to  it,  until 
he  was  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  as  fine  land  as  any  in  De  Kalb 
county.  He  was  very  successful  in  his 
farming  operations,  and  for  a  time  made  a 
specialty  of  the  raising    of    Shorthorn  and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORL. 


495 


Durham  cattle.'  and  was  ranked  among  the 
leading  breeders  in  the  count}-.  He  also 
engaged  in  breeding  Berkshire  hogs,  and 
later  the  Poland-China  variety. 

In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
with  which  part)'  he  acted  from  the  time 
he  became  a  naturalized  citizen.  In  his 
native  land  he  was  a  member  of  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  church,  but  on  coming  to  De 
Kalb  county,  united  with  the  Congrega- 
tionalists.  He  was  a  deeply  religious  man, 
one  of  good  qualities  of  both  head  and 
heart.  His  death  occurred  January  12, 
1897,  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-eight  years,  and 
his  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery 
in  Malta  township.  His  widow  is  yet  liv- 
ing, and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tionalist  church.  Like  her,  husband  she  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem. 


EDWIN  L.  FLEWELLIX.  who  came 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  1861,  and  who 
owns  a  valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
forty-three  acres  in  Paw  Paw  township,  is 
now  living  a  retired  life  at  Shabbona  Grove. 
He  is  a  native  of  Westchester  coimty.  New 
York,  born  March  11,  1835,  and  there  grew 
to  manhood,  attending  the  common  schools 
during  the  winter  and  assisting  in  cultivating 
the  home  farm  during  the  summer  months. 
He  remained  with  his  father  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  attained  his  majorit\'.  He 
was  married  in  Westchester  county,  June 
4.  1856,  to  Miss  Jane  Creswell,  a  native  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  who  came  to  America 
when  a  young  lady. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fle- 
wellin  commenced  their  domestic  life  on  a 
farm  in  Westchester  county,  and  there  re- 
mained a  few  years.  In  1861  they  came 
to  De  Kalb  county.  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Fle- 


wellin  purchased  a  partially  improved  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixt)'  acres,  and,  mov- 
ing to  the  place,  commenced  its  cultivation, 
and  there  resided  a  few  years.  Later  he 
purchased  eighty-three  acres  just  across  the 
road,  and,  moving  to  that  farm,  there  re- 
sided until  the  death  of  his  wife,  who  passed 
to  her  reward,  February  15,  1896.  He 
then  turned  the  farm  over  to  his  son,  and, 
moving  to  the  \illage  of  Shabbona  Grove, 
has  since  lived  a  retired  life,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  former  toil. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flewellin  seven  chil- 
dren were  born:  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Mosely,  a  farmer  of  Thompson,  Ohio.  Rob- 
ert is  a  grain  dealer  and  inerchant  residing 
in  the  village  of  Shabbona  Gro\e.  Isen  re- 
sides in  East  Paw  Paw,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  farming.  Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Edwin 
George,  of  Leland,  Illinois.  Horace  C.  is 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Shabbona  Grove.  Es- 
tella  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Holmes,  a 
farmer  of  Paw  Paw  township.  Edwin  L. 
is  operating  the  old  homestead. 

Politically  Mr.  Flewellin  is  a  Republic- 
an, with  which  party  he  has  been  identified 
since  attaining  his  majority.  He  was  twen- 
ty-one years  old  the  year  in  which  the  Re- 
publican party  made  its  first  nomination  for 
president,  and  cast  his  ballot  for  the  nomi- 
nee. Office  holding  was  never  to  his  liking 
and  he  therefore  never  held  any.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church  of  Shabbona  Grove,  and  all  are 
highlv  esteemed  for  their  worth's  sake. 


WILLIAM  T.MILLER,  M.D., physician 
and  surgeon, residing  in  Sandwich. Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Tioga  county,  New  York, 
October  12,    1858,  and    is  the  son  of  Dr.    |. 


494 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


J.  and  Catherine  (DeCudres)  Miller,  both 
of  whom  are  natives  of  New  York.  The 
father  is  still  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Amsterdam,  New  York.  He 
takes  little  interest  in  politics,  but  acts  with 
the  Republican  party.  His  birth  occurred 
October  3,  1834,  and  he  was  united  in  mar 
riage  with  Catherine  L)e  Ciidres,  October 
26,  1854.  She  was  born  October  4,  1835, 
and  died  in  1882.  Religiously  she  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  was  very  active  in  church  and  Sunday- 
school  work.  She  was  also  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union,  and  for  some  years  was  president  of 
the  local  union.  She  was  a  woman  of 
much  literary  ability  and  during  the  war  was 
a  contributor  to  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  Her 
father,  Marcus  A.  De  Cudres,  resides  on 
Sherman  avenue,  Evanston,  Illinois,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-eight  years.  He  is 
a  prominent  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  that  city,  and  is  well 
preserved  in  body  and  mind.  His  wife  died 
many  years  ago.  Of  their  children,  Lewis 
now  resides  in  Pawnee  City,  Nebraska. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Eighth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry, 
the  regiment  that  carried  with  them  the 
eagle,  "Old  Abe".  In  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, he  suffered  the  loss  of  an  arm.  Like 
other  members  of  the  family,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
For  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  been 
county  clerk  of  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska, 
a  position  which  he  fills  in  a  most  satisfac- 
tory manner.  Adolphus  is  a  resident  of 
Ellsworth,  Kansas.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
Rev.  A.  C.  Smith,  of  the  Wyoming,  New 
York,  conference,  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  Rosa  died  young.  Powers 
and  James  died  while  serving  their  country 


in  the  Civil  war.  The  latter  died  of  dysen- 
tery in  Tennessee,  while  Powers  died  from 
e.xposure  while  fighting  the  Indians  on  the 
plains. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, Andrew  Miller,  was  born  in  Hamilton 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  S,  1794.  He 
was  the  son  of  Christian  Miller,  who  emi- 
grated from  Germany  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
maternal  great-great-grandfather  came  from 
France  during  the  French  revolution.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  aristocracy,  and  had 
to  leave  on  account  of  the  uprising  of  the 
conunon  people.  He  was  stowed  away 
between  bales  of  cotton,  and  thus  saved 
himself  from  being  a  victim  of  the  guillo- 
tine. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  only 
child  of  his  parents  and  was  reared  in  town 
and  received  his  ]irimary  education  in  the 
public  schools.  He  later  attended  Union 
College  at  Schenectady,  New  York,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  '78. 
After  graduating  in  the  literary  department 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
same  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1 88 1.  He  then  began  practice  at  East 
Albany,  New  York,  where  he  remained  some 
years,  and  in  1894  went  to  Berlin,  Ger- 
mary,  and  took  a  special  course  of  one 
year.  From  Germany  he  came  to  Sand- 
wich, where  he  has  since  continued,  having 
built  up  an  extensive  practice.  For  ten 
years  he  was  an  officer  on  the  board  of 
health,  while  yet  living  in  New  York,  and 
was  local  surgeon  for  the  Susquehanna  Rail- 
road for  the  same  period  of  time.  He  was 
also  demonstrator  of  physiology  in  the  hos- 
pital school  of  nurses.  New  York. 

Dr.  Miller  was  married  June  28,  1895, 
in  Berlin,  Germany,  to  Miss  Estrid  Clem- 
ment,  a   daughter  of   Jordan   P.    and   Anna 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


495 


(Harnsleth)  Clemment.  Her  father  died 
December  3,  1895,  in  New  York,  at  the 
age  of  fifty- five  years.  Her  mother  is  yet 
living  in  Aarhus,  Denmark.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  children  —  Ulrikka  Dag- 
mar,  Estrid  and  Carlos.  Jordan  P.  Clem- 
ment was  a  glove  manufacturer  in  Aarhus, 
Denmark,  and  the  glove  which  takes  his 
name  has  yet  a  wide  sale  and  is  one  of  the 
best  known  gloves  in  the  market. 

Dr.  Miller  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of 
Cobleskill  Lodg^,  No.  .594,  A.  F.  ^:  A.  M., 
of  New  York,  and  of  the  chapter.  No.  229. 
He  was  for  some  years  worshipful  master  of 
the  former  and  high  priest  of  the  latter.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Temple  Commandery, 
No.  14,  in  .Albany,  New  York.  For  a  time 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  Knights 
of  the  Globe,  being  examining  physician  in 
each  order.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  political  af- 
fairs. As  a  physician  he  ranks  high  in  the 
profession,  being  a  well  read  and  successful 
practitioner. 


JAMES  T.  POWELL,  who,  after  a  long 
and  busy  life,  is  now  living  retired  in 
the  village  of  Somonauk,  was  born  in 
W'atertown,  a  suburb  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, October  17,  1823,  and  is  the  son  of 
Howell  and  Mary  Ann  Powell,  natives  of 
Wales  and  England,  respectively,  but  who 
came  to  the  United  States  early  in  the  pres- 
ent century.  While  residingin  the  east  the 
father  engaged  in  gardening,  but  on  coming 
west,  in  the  fa  1  of  1837,  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming,  which  occupation  he  continued 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in 
his  seventy-fifth  year.     On  coming  to  Illi- 


no's  he  located  in  La  Salle  county,  where 
he  purchased  government  land,  and  in  due 
time  developed  a  fine  farm.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  their  house  was  a 
stopping  place  and  home  of  the  itinerant 
ministry.  The  family  were  known  in  a  ra- 
dms  of  many  miles  and  wereof  good  report, 
such  people  as  gave  character  to  the  pio- 
neer community  of  which  they  were  an 
active  and  prominent  part.  F"or  many 
years  the  good  wife  was  an  invalid. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
youngest  of  five  children  born  to  Howell 
and  Mary  Ann  Powell,  the  others  being 
Jane,  who  married  Joshua  Rhodes,  both 
now  being  deceased;  Mary  .\nn.  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Warner,  and  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; William,  who  is  engaged  in  garden- 
ing near  Mendota,  Illinois;  and  Eliza,  who 
married  Thomas  Gransden.  both  now  being 
deceased. 

On  the  home  farm  our  subject  grew  to 
manhood,  and  from  the  fact  that  it  was  pio- 
neer times,  and  that  schools  were  not  plen- 
tiful, he  received  but  little  education  within 
the  walls  of  the  school  room.  His  sister 
Eliza  taught  the  school  in  a  log  school- 
house  for  many  years.  In  1849,  in  a  com- 
pany of  twelve  person?,  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  California,  traveling  with  ox  teams 
to  Salt  Lake,  and  then  used  pack  mules  the 
rest  of  the  way.  They  liked  the  mules  be- 
cause they  went  faster  than  the  oxen,  and 
it  was  therefore  more  satisfactory.  They 
were  four  months  on  the  way,  and  it  can  be 
well  inferred  that  they  experienced  consid- 
erable hardships,  although  they  met  with 
no  serious  trouble.  Two  of  their  horses, 
however,  were  drowned  in  crossing  Bear 
river;  this  was  caused  by  trying  to  lead  them 
across  at  the  end  of  a   lariat.      When  they 


496 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD, 


reached  the  swift  current  their  heads  were 
pulled  under,  and  before  they  could  be  re- 
leased they  were  drowned.  Mr.  Powell  re- 
mained in  California  for  nearly  two  years, 
and  there  engaged  in  mining,  and  did  fairly 
well.  Of  the  twelve  men  in  the  company 
crossing  the  plains,  onl\'  three  are  now 
living,  John  Culmer,  Edwin  Breadslej'  and 
our  subject.  Mr.  Powell  was  married  in 
1852,  to  Miss  Ann  Stafford,  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  by  this  union  are  two  chil- 
dren living,  Ida  and  Ella,  both  remaining  at 
home.  The  wife  and  children  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Somonauk, 
in  which  they  take  a  lively  interest.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Powell  is  a  Mason,  holding 
membership  with  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and 
commandery.  In  politics  he  is  a  thorough 
going  Republican,  and  has  been  identified 
with  the  part}'  since  its  organization.  On 
returning  from  California,  Mr.  Powell  again 
engaged  in  farming,  which  occupation  he 
followed  until  1862,  when  he  moved  to 
Somonauk,  and  has  there  since  continued 
to  reside.  He  is  a  well  known  citizen  of 
the  place  and  has  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  the  entire  communitv. 


THOMAS  PARKER,  who  resides  on  sec- 
tions 5  and  8,  De  Kalb  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  is  a  farmer  who  thor- 
oughly understands  his  business.  He  was 
born  in  \\'ethersfield,  Vermont,  December 
10,  1844,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Char- 
lotte (Carnes)  Parker.  The  former  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  born  June  10,  1819, 
and  who  died  May  25,  1875.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Vermont  March  21,  1822,  and  died 
November  8,  1889.  James  Parker  was  the 
son  of  Thomas  and  Thankful  Parker,  the 
latter  being  born   November    15,   1790,  and 


who  died  January  18,  1865.  The  maternal 
grandmother,  Persis  Carnes,  was  born  April 
20,  1787,  and  died  December  16.  1830.  The 
great-grandfather,  Jehuel  Whittemore,  was 
born  in  1763  and  died  December  31,  1847. 
His  wife  was  Polly  Higgins. 

James  Parker  was  deprived  of  paternal 
aid  when  quite  young  and  was  compelled  to 
work  out  by  the  month.  In  early  life  he 
moved  to  Vermont,  where  bj-  his  strict  at- 
tention to  the  duties  imposed  upon  him  he 
soon  won  the  confidence  of  his  employers 
and  in  time  became  the  head  of  a  woolen 
factory.  In  commencing  business  he  was 
first  associated  with  his  uncle,  Enos  Whitte- 
more, but  soon  purchased  the  latter's  inter- 
est and  carried  it  on  alone.  In  those  early 
days,  before  the  establishment  of  almshouses, 
the  poor  were  taken  care  of  by  the  township, 
one  man  being  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
them.  This  office  was  filled  by  him  for 
three  years,  beginning  with  1849. 

Later  Mr.  Parker  removed  to  Illinois, 
locating  in  Mayfield  township.  He  came 
by  way  of  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  where  he 
engaged  a  team  to  take  him  to  his  destina- 
tion in  De  Kalb  county,  where  his  uncle 
then  resided.  Soon  afterwards  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  partially  improved  land, 
which  under  his  excellent  management  soon 
developed  into  a  first-class  farm.  He  was 
a  very  prominent  man  in  his  day  and  held 
the  office  of  supervisor  for  a  number  of  years 
and  was  school  trustee  of  his  township  for 
several  terms.  A  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  served  as 
class  leader  for  some  years.  His  marriage 
with  Charlotte  Carnes  was  celebrated  March 
4,  1S41.  Of  their  family  of  seven  children 
six  grew  to  maturity. 

Thomas  Parker,  our  subject,  was  second 
of  the  seven  children   of   James   and    Char- 


ll 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


497 


lotte  Parker.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Mayfield  and  Sycamore,  and  for  a  time 
engaf^jed  in  teaching,  but  on  account  of  his 
father's  decHning  health,  he  was  compelled 
to  abandoned  that  profession,  and  give  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  his 
twentieth  year  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  its  primitive  state, 
and  four  years  later  purchased  an  additional 
eighty  acres  adjoining,  which  he  worked  to 
such  an  advantage  as  enabled  him  to  meet 
his  payments  when  due,  and  it  was  but  a 
short  time  before  his  entire  place  was  unin- 
cumbered. In  1898  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  twenty-one  acres  adjoining  the  city  of  De 
Kalb. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1871,  Mr. 
Parker  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Clara  A.  Helmer,  who  was  born  in  Herki- 
mer count}',  New  York,  February  20,  1851, 
and  the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Rosanna 
Helmer.  Her  father  was  the  fourth  son  of 
Adam  F.  and  Anna  M.  Helmer.  Her  great 
grandparents  on  her  mother's  side.  Captain 
Henry  and  Catherine  Harter,  were  taken 
prisoners  in  the  French  war  of  1757.  As 
the  captives  were  crossing  the  St.  Lawrence 
river  in  a  birch  bark  canoe  on  their  way  to 
Canada,  Mrs.  Harter  gave  birth  to  a  daugh- 
ter. In  process  of  time  this  daughter  was 
adopted  by  the  Indians,  and  was  afterwards 
the  wife  of  General  Michael  Myers.  Adam 
Helmer,  the  grandfather,  served  his  country 
under  Washington,  in  the  dark  days  of  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  commenced  their 
domestic  life  upon  the  farm  which  he  had 
purchased,  and  where  they  have  since  con- 
tinued to  reside,  each  year  adding  to  the 
improvements  of  the  preceding  year,  mak- 
ing their  farm  one  of  the  most  desirable  in 
the    township.      Mr.    Parker   is   a    practical 


farmer,  believing  in  the  utility  of  modern 
improvements,  his  farm  being  well  supplied 
with  all  the  latest  improved  machinery. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has 
been  class  leader  for  a  number  of  years. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
official  board  of  the  church,  and  has  always 
taken  great  interest  in  its  work. 


JAMES  BANKS  is  a  practical  farmer  re- 
siding on  section  18,  De  Kalb  township. 
He  is  a  native  of  county  Longford,  Ireland, 
born  in  1834,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Bridget  Banks,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  the  Green  Isle.  Thomas  Banks  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  in  his  native  land,  and 
with  his  wife  there  lived  and  died.  His 
family  consisted  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

James  Banks  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  land,  in  the  town  of  Ballenrue, 
county  Longford,  parish  CuUmkill,  where 
he  remained  until  the  age  of  nineteen,  when, 
with  a  view  of  bettering  his  condition  in  life, 
he  emigrated  to  this  country,  locating  first 
in  Orange  county.  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained some  three  years.  Hearing  of  the 
great  west  and  its  boundless  opportunities 
for  the  honest  tiller  of  the  soil,  he  deter- 
mined on  making  a  further  journey,  and  in 
1856  we  find  him  in  South  Grove  township, 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked 
for  W.  M.  Byers  for  ten  years,  after  which 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  he  lived  and  worked  for  three  years. 
That  farm  he  sold  and  purchased  another 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  De 
Kalb  township,  upon  which  some  improve- 
ments had  been  made,  which  were  very 
crude    compared    with    those    made  by   its 


498 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


present  owner.  He  has  built,  tiled,  fenced 
and  planted  until  his  place  presents  a  very 
beautiful  appearance.  Good  fortune  has 
not  always  attended  him,  but  in  a  main  he 
has  been  prosperous.  In  1880  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  his  barn  by  fire,  sustain- 
ing thereby  a  great  loss. 

In  1863  Mr.  Banks  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Kate  McNamara,  a  native 
of  county  Clare,  Ireland,  and  a  daughter  of 
Dennis  and  Catherine  McNamara,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Ireland.  By  this 
union  two  children  were  born:  Mary,  in 
1865,  and  Thomas,  in  1867.  The  family 
are  strict  Roman  Catholics  and  are  highly 
respected  for  their  honesty  and  truthfulness, 
and  whose  characters  are  unimpeachable. 
Politically,  Mr.  Banks  is  a  Democrat. 


TAMES  HENRY  HARMON,  a  retired 
kJ  farmer  residing  in  Somonauk,  is  a  nati\'e 
of  De  Kalb  county,  born  in  Somonauk  town- 
ship, December  15,  1844,  and  is  the  son  of 
Anthony  and  Elizabeth  (Wilco.x)  Harmon, 
the  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and 
the  latter  of  New  York.  The  father  came 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  1833,  in  his  nineteenth 
year,  and  after  coming  here  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  which  occupation  he 
followed  in  connection  with  farming  and 
plowmaking  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  was  a  man  of  much  mechanical 
genius  and  a  very  useful  man  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  was  capable  of  making 
almost  everything  in  demand  on  the  farm 
or  in  the  town.  On  coming  to  De  Kalb 
county  he  drove  an  ox  team  for  his  father, 
killing  game  in  abundance  while  on  the  way. 
His  father  took  up  a  quarter-section  of  gov- 
ernment land  and  at  once  began  to  make  a 
home  for  the  family.      He  lived  in  the  tim- 


ber, cutting  and  splitting  rails  with  which  to 
fence  his  farm.  Few  men  were  better 
known  in  the  southern  part  of  De  Kalb 
county  than  Anthony  Harmon,  especially 
during  i)ioneer  times.  Learning  to  manu- 
facture plows,  he  supplied  the  neighborhood 
and  farmers  would  often  come  to  his  shop 
from  a  distance  of  ten  miles  or  more,  start- 
ing at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  order 
to  be  the  first  in  town  to  get  their  work 
done.  His  death  occurred  December  18, 
1892,  when  seventy-seven  years  of  age. 
For  some  years  prior  to  his  death  he  did  no 
work,  only  that  he  might  accommodate 
some  good  neighbor.  He  was  once  elected 
supervisor,  when  not  aware  that  his  name 
was  even  proposed  for  the  office,  but  refused 
to  serve,  as  office  holding  was  not  to  his 
taste.  While  not  a  member  of  any  church, 
he  helped  with  his  means  to  build  all  the 
churches  in  his  town.  His  widow  is  still 
living  in  her  seventy-seventh  year.  She  is 
in  good  health  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  life, 
as  much  so  as  could  be  expected  in  one  of 
her  years.  Formerly  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  she  later  united 
with  the  Baptist  church,  with  which  body 
she  is  now  connected.  Of  the  six  children 
born  to  Anthony  and  Elizabeth  Harmon, 
three  died  in  early  life:  Hattie,  Eleanor 
and  one  unnamed.  The  living  are  Amos 
W. ,  James  H.  and  George  C.  Amos  W. 
first  married  Miss  Rose,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children:  William  Ellsworth,  Luella 
and  John.  She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
eight  years;  and  by  his  second  marriage  he 
has  two  children,  Nora  and  Herbert.  George 
C.  resides  in  the  township  of  Victor  on  a 
farm.  He  married  Margaret  George,  by 
whom  he  has  six  children:  Anthony,  Elea- 
nor, Charles,  Edith,  Rachel  and  Minnie. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


499 


the  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  he  commenced  farming  for  him- 
self, and  that  was  his  occupation  imtil 
within  the  past  five  years,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  engaged  exclusively  in  buying 
stock,  a  business  that  he  has  followed  more 
or  less  for  twenty-five  years,  purchasing 
both  cattle  and  hogs  for  the  eastern  mar- 
kets. He  still  owns  the  farm,  one  and  a 
half  miles  north  of  Somonauk,  consisting  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  is  well 
improved  in  every  respect.  On  the  farm  he 
runs  a  dairj-.  keeping  about  seventeen  head 
head  of  milch  cows. 

Mr.  Harmon  was  married  January  17, 
1865,  to  Miss  Margaret  Cain,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Cain,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Ireland,  ar.d  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1842,  locating  first  m  New 
York,  from  which  state  they  removed  to  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in  1S56.  Here  the 
father  died  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  about 
seventy  years.  His  wife  is  still  living  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-four  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children  as  follows: 
Samuel,  who  resides  in  the  town  of  York, 
Nebraska;  John,  residing  in  Sandwich,  Illi- 
nois; Eliza,  who  died  in  November,  1897, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years;  Margaret, 
v.'ife  of  our  subject;  James,  who  resides  on 
a  farm  near  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
in  Somonauk  township;  and  Joseph,  who 
also  resides  on  a  farm  in  Somonauk  town- 
ship. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harmon  three  children 
have  been  born.  Emma  Augusta  died  in 
1S80,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  Elmer 
J.,  who  married  Miss  Louisa  Shaffman.  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead.  Edgar  B.  is 
in  the  employ  of  Carson,  Pirie,  Scott  & 
Company,  Chicago,  with  whom  he  has  been 


engaged  for  the  past  four  years.  Mr.  Har- 
mon is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
prominent  farmers  in  De  Kalb  county,  and 
as  a  citizen  he  is  progressive  and  honorable 
ar.d  enjoys  the  high  regard  of  his  fellow 
men. 


M.AJOR  F.  BLISS,  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing farmers  of  Somonauk  township, 
was  born  in  Bristol,  Massachusetts,  Novem- 
ber 6,  1S37,  and  is  the  son  of  Otis  and 
Charlotte  (Dennis)  Bliss,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Massachusetts,  born  January  20, 
1802,  and  who  died  September  30.  1840. 
The  latter  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
born  June  22,  181  i,  and  died  June  10,  1898. 
Her  parents  were  Major  and  Eunice  Dennis, 
who  came  to  this  state  in  1842,  from  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  here  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  both  dying  at  an  advanced  age. 
Otis  Bliss  and  Charlotte  Dennis  were  mar- 
ried March  30,  1828,  and  after  residing  in 
the  east  some  twelve  years,  came  to  De 
Kalb  county,  in  1S40,  where  he  entered 
government  land,  the  patent  to  which  is  yet 
in  possession  of  our  subject.  It  is  signed 
by  President  James  K.  Polk,  and  was  given 
in  1845.  The  tract  comprised  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  in  addition  to  which  he  pur- 
chased a  few  acres  of  timber,  which  all  felt 
that  they  must  have.  After  residing  here  a 
few  months,  he  was  taken  with  typhoid  fever, 
from  which  he  never  recovered,  his  death 
taking  place  September  30,  1840.  On  lo- 
cating here  neighbors  were  iew  and  far  be- 
tween. Otis  and  Charlotte  Bliss  were  the 
parents  of  five  children.  Charlotte  married 
Clement  Brook,  and  died  in  Jasper  county, 
Iowa,  May  24,  1863,  leaving  a  large  family. 
She  was  born  February  lo,  1849.  Fidelia 
K.,  born  November  21,   1830,  married  Myr- 


soo 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


lin  Carpenter,  of  Sandwich,  Illinois,  and 
died  April  21,  1892,  leaving  four  children. 
Lorena  D. ,  born  October  14,  1832,  mar- 
ried Samuel  Orr,  October  8,  1856.  She  re- 
sides in  Sandwich,  Illinois.  W'illiam  O., 
born  February  13.  1835,  is  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  Sandwich.  Major  F. ,  our  sub- 
ject, is  fifth  in  order  of  birth. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  the 
mother  of  our  subject  married  Thomas 
Brook,  who  was  born  November  21,  1791, 
and  who  served  his  country  in  the  second 
war  with  Great  Britain.  By  this  second 
union  she  was  the  mother  of  four  children 
as  follows:  Hannah  W.,  born  February  21, 
1842,  is  a  wddow,  and  now  resides  in  Santa 
Cruz,  California.  Jacob  D. ,  born  June  3, 
1844,  is  a  resident  of  Pelton,  California. 
Lucio,  born  July  16,  1848,  died  September 
8,  1852.  Lucius  E.,  born  May  22,  1851, 
died  August  17,  1875. 

Major  F.  Bliss,  our  subject,  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  and  has  devoted  almost  his  en- 
tire life  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  came 
west  with  the  family  in  1840,  and  is  there- 
fore one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county.  He 
has  a  very  distinct  recollection  of  the  early 
days,  and  remembers  when  they  attended 
church  with  ox-teams,  religious  services  be- 
ing held  in  the  school-house.  His  father's 
house  was  the  usual  stopping  place  of  all 
traveling  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Our  sub- 
ject began  life  for  himself  in  1856,  but  made 
his  first  purchase  of  land  in  i860.  He  is 
now  one  of  the  oldest  farmers  in  the  south- 
ern portion  of  the  count}'. 

Mr.  Bliss  was  united  in  marriage  August 
21,  1862,  with  Miss  Lydia  Potter,  a  native 
of  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Darius  and 
Susan  Potter,  from  New  York  state.  By 
this  union  were  six  children.  Hattie  F. 
married  F.    H.  Merwin,  by   whom   she  has 


five  children — Dwight,  Paul,  Ellen,  Francis 
and  Dorothy.  They  reside  on  the  east  side 
of  Somonauk.  Elmer  F.  is  a  resident  of 
Lincoln,  Nebraska.  Alma  F.  is  the  wife  of 
A.  G.  Merwin,  and  they  reside  in  the  village 
of  Somonauk.  Herbert  died  in  1878  at  the 
age  of  four  years,  four  months  and  fourteen 
days.  Guy  L.  is  taking  a  course  at  Knox 
College.  Galesburg,  Illinois.  Lucia  L. ,  of 
the  home  circle,  completes  the  family. 

Mrs.  Bliss  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Politically  Mr.  Bliss  is  independ- 
ent, voting  for  the  man  rather  than  the  par- 
ty. In  1881  Mr.  Bliss  was  president  of  the 
Somonauk  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
a  private  institution,  which  confines  its  bus- 
iness to  Somonauk  township.  It  has  been 
in  existence  for  twenty-two  years,  and  has 
been  very  successfully  and  economically 
managed,  affording  a  very  low  rate  of  insur- 
ance to  the  citizens  of  the  township.  He 
has  been  elected  constable  for  the  third  time 
and  is  now  filling  that  office.  His  farm  of 
eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land  adjoins 
the  corporate  limits  of  Somonauk  on  the 
north.  He  devotes  himself  to  both  grain 
and  stock  farming,  and  has  upon  his  place 
a  good  orchard,  and  small  fruits  of  all  kinds. 
For  nearly  sixty  years  he  has  resided  in  the 
vicinity  of  Somonauk,  and  it  was  thirteen 
years  after  he  located  here  that  the  railroad 
was  built. 


JOHN  M.  BLAIR  has  a  tine  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  forty-live  acres  on 
section  7,  Milan  township,  where  his  birth 
occurred  July  7,  1859.  He  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Blair,  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in 
1824,  and  who  there  grew  to  manhood, 
coming  from  thence  to  the  United  States  in 
1851,    locating   first    in    Kane    county    and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


501 


about  eigjht  years  later  moving  to  De  Kalb 
count\%  where  he  purchased  the  land  on 
which  our  subject  now  resides.  On  that 
place  he  lived  until  1887,  giving  his  atten- 
tion to  its  proper  cultivation  and  then  mov- 
ing to  the  village  of  Malta,  where  he  is  now 
living  a  retired  life.  He  was  married  in 
St.  Charles.  Illinois,  to  Mary  McNeal.  also 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters, 
as  follows  :  Robert  is  a  contractor  and 
builder  residing  in  De  Kalb,  Illinois.  John 
.M.  is  the  subject  of  this  review.  .Mary  J. 
is  the  wife  of  James  Morehead,  of  Malta 
township.  Alice  D.  is  the  wife  of  W.  H. 
Morehead,  of  Chicago.  W.  D.  is  engaged 
in  the  commission  business  at  Chicago. 
Edith  is  the  wife  of  Frank  McQueen,  of 
South  Grove.  Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  later  attended  the  Malta  High 
School.  He  remained  with  his  father  until 
after  he  attained  his  majority  and  in  Malta 
township,  December  18,  18S4,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Cora  J.  Kemp- 
son,  a  native  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Kempson,  one  of  its 
pioneers.  After  their  marriage  they  com- 
menced their  domestic  life  on  the  Blair 
farm,  of  which  he  took  complete  charge. 
In  1892  he  purchased  the  Milan  creamery, 
which  he  operated  until  April,  1S98,  and 
then  rented  the  plant  to  the  Spring  Brook 
Creamery  Company.  In  connection  with 
general  farming  he  has  been  engaged  in 
breeding  and  raising  fine  stock.  He  has 
also  fed  and  fattened  for  market  a  large 
number  of  hogs  and  sheep  each  year. 

Politically  Mr.  Blair  is  a  Republican,  with 
which  party    he   has  acted   since    attaining 


his  majority.  He  was  elected  and  served 
as  assessor  one  term,  and  was  then  elected 
township  trustee  and  re-elected,  serving  six 
consecutive  years.  In  the  spring  of  1898 
he  was  re-elected  assessor  for  a  term  of  two 
years.  For  twelve  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  of  which  he 
has  served  as  district  clerk  for  the  entire 
time. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blair  have  four  children — 
Bessie  Edith,  Robert  Ennis.  Glenn  Doug- 
las and  Cora  May.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blair  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  at 
Malta,  in  which  he  is  .serving  as  trustee. 
They  take  an  active  interest  in  the  church 
work  and  assist  in  maintaining  a  Sunday- 
school  in  their  neighborhood.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Blair  is  a  member  of  Malta  lodge.  No. 
606,  I.  O.  O.  F..  and  has  passed  all  the 
chairs,  being  now  past  grand  of  his  lodge: 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
\\'a3side  lodge,  at  Malta.  He  has  resided 
in  De  Kalb  county  all  his  life,  and  has  en- 
deavored to  do  faithfulh'  every  duty  im- 
posed upon  him,  and  by  his  friends  and 
neighbors  he  is  held   in  the  highest  esteem. 


JOHN  W.  ARNOLD  has  a  well  improved 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
on  section  14,  Paw  Paw  township.  He  is  a 
native  of  De  Kalb  county,  born  in  Victor 
township,  September  4,  1857,  and  is  the 
son  of  Edward  .Arnold,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, born  in  1722,  and  who  there  grew  to 
manhood,  and  in  Lincolnshire,  England, 
married  Mary  Tinsley,  a  native  of  that 
shire.  With  his  bride  he  emigrated  to  the 
New  World,  about  1841,  and  came  direct 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  first  at  Batavia.  Kane 
county,  and  there  resided  several  vears.  and 
later  came  to  De   Kalb  county,  locating  in 


502 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Victor  township,  where  he  opened  up  a  farm. 
When  gold  was  discovered  in  CaHfornia,  he 
went  overland  to  the  New  Eldorado,  and 
there  spent  about  eleven  years  in  the  mines. 
During  that  time,  however,  he  came  home 
and  spent  about  six  months.  He  was  fairly 
successful  in  his  mining  operations,  but  re- 
turning to  the  old  place  in  Victor  township, 
he  engaged  in  farming  for  several  years. 
He  subsequently  removed  to  Iowa,  and  set- 
tled in  Woodbury  county,  and  there  en- 
gaged in  the  milling  business  and  there  he 
now  resides. 

John  \\'.  .\rnold  grew  to  manhood  in 
Victor  township,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  together  with  two  winters 
at  the  Somonauk  High  School.  He  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  and  assisted  in  its 
cultivation  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  On  the  22nd  of  April,  1882,  he  mar- 
ried Anna  M.  Harper,  a  native  of  Paw  Paw 
township,  born  on  the  farm  where  she  now 
resides.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  Har- 
per, one  of  the  earlj'  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
county.  Four  children  were  born  of  their 
union — Ross  H.,  Ralph  D.,  Robert  \'.,  and 
Alice.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  .Arnold 
rented  a  farm  in  \'ictor  township,  on  which 
he  resided  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  he  cultivated 
for  four  years,  then  rented  his  present  farm 
for  two  years.  Selling  his  farm  in  \'ictor 
township  he  purchased  the  Robert  Harper 
farm,  and  has  here  since  continued  to  re- 
side, actively  engaged  in  general  farming  in 
connection  with  stock-raising,  feeding  and 
fattening  for  the  market  from  one  to  two 
carloads  of  hogs  annually.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  successful  farmers  and 
stock  feeders  of  the  township. 

Politically  Mr.  Arnold  is  a  Republican, 
but  as  a  temperance  man  he   is   a   firm  be- 


liever in  the  principles  of  prohibition.  In- 
terested in  the  cause  of  education,  he  is 
now  serving  his  third  term  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  and  is  its  present  presi- 
dent. .\  well-known  citizen  of  De  Kalb 
county,  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
those  who  know  him. 


PROF.  WARREN  HUBBARD,  principal 
of  the  Somonauk  schools,  Somonauk, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  De  Kalb  county, 
October  20,  i860,  and  is  the  son  of  Lorenzo 
and  Mary  (Wright)  Hubbard,  natives  of 
Maine  and  New  York,  respectively.  Lo- 
renzo Hubbard  came  west  about  1855,  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  Victor  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  but  removed  to  Northville 
township,  La  Salle  county  in  1881,  and  has 
made  farming  his  life  work.  He  came  west 
a  young  man,  married  here,  and  reared  his 
family.  In  his  township  he  has  been  quite 
prominent  and  has  held  a  number  of  minor 
offices.  He  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
two  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church,  in  which 
body  he  is  an  officer.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  oldest  of  their  four  children. 
Walter  L.  is  a  farmer  residing  in  De  Kalb 
count}'.  He  married  Miss  Kate  Keyes,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Jennie.  Mary  A.  died 
in  infancy.  Lorenzo  M.  resides  at  home 
and  assists  in  the  management  of  the  home 
farm.  Prof.  Hubbard  was  reared  on  the 
farm,  and  for  some  years  assisted  in  its  cul- 
tivation. His  primary  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools,  but  he  later 
attended  Jennings  Seminary,  at  Aurora, 
Illinois,  and  had  the  benefit  of  the  instruc- 
tion of  Dr.  Martin  E.  Cady  and  other 
well  known  teachers.  He  began  teaching 
when  quite   young,  in  the    district    schools 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


503 


during  the  winter  months,  and  assisted 
in  the  farm  work  in  summer.  As  a 
professional  teacher,  he  began  first  at 
Sandwich,  where  he  was  principal  of  the 
high  school,  1890-91,  being  engaged  to  fill 
a  vacancy.  That  position  he  resigned  in 
order  to  accept  the  principalship  of  the 
Somonauk  schools.  He  has  now  filled  the 
position  for  seven  years,  and  has  given  a 
most  e.vceilent  degree  of  satisfaction.  The 
schools  have  a  prescribed  course,  and  four 
teachers  are  employed  in  addition  to  Prof. 
Hubbard,  who  teaches  in  the  high  school. 
The  present  school  board  are  S.  E.  Beel- 
nian,  president;  H.  F.  Hess,  secretary;  and 
H.  E.  White. 

Prof.  Hubbard  was  married  January  t, 
1884,  to  Miss  Rosa  Rehm,  a  native  of  De 
Kalb  county.  Mrs.  Hubbard  is  the  old- 
est of  three  children.  John,  her  oldest 
brother,  married  Miss  Harriet  Gletty,  and 
the}"  reside  in  Iowa,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming.  George,  her  youngest  brother,  re- 
sides in  Somonauk.  To  Prof,  and  Mrs. 
Hubbard  have  been  born  two  daughters, 
Mary  Grace  and  Helen  B.  They  have  also 
an  adopted  son,  Bert. 

Religiously  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbard  are 
Congregationalists,  having  membership  in 
the  Congregational  church  at  Somonauk,  in 
which  he  is  serving  as  one  of  the  deacons. 
He  is  also  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school,  which  has  a  membership  of  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  Somonauk  Lodge,  No.  646, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Sandwich  Chapter,  No. 
107,  R.  .\.  M.,  and  also  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  being  escort  in  the 
latter  body.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Eastern  Star,  in  which  Mrs. 
Hubbard  holds  the  position  of  warder.  In 
politics  the  Professor  is  thoroughly  independ- 


ent. As  an  educator  he  has  done  and  is  still 
doing  excellent  work.  He  is  a  good  organiz- 
er, has  much  aptness  as  a  teacher,  and  his 
services  are  appreciated  by  parents,  pupils 
and  patrons  of  the  school.  The  public 
school  principal  is  one  of  the  important 
factors  in  civic  life.  The  position  needs 
brains,  courage  and  an  all  around  develop- 
ment. The  authorities  of  the  Somonauk 
school  are  to  be  congratulated  for  keeping 
the  right  man  in  the  right   place. 


JAMES  M.  SKINNER,  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  Somonauk,  was  born  in  Craw- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  December  6, 
1S43,  and  is  the  son  of  I.  H.  and  PoUie  .\nn 
(Dickson)  Skinner,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 
In  his  boyhood  the  father  accompanied  his 
parents  from  New  Jersey  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  a  little 
later  moved  to  Ohio,  but  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  from  there,  in  June,  1S44, 
came  to  Illinois  and  located  in  La  Salle 
county.  On  his  arrival  in  La  Salle  county 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  government  land, 
opened  up  a  farm,  which  he  retained  until 
shortly  before  his  death,  when  he  sold  to  his 
youngest  son,  Joseph,  who.  in  1S97,  sold  to 
his  older  brother,  George  A.,  who  still  re- 
tains the  home  place.  In  1881  the  father 
retired  from  active  work  and  removed  to 
Somonauk,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1887,  when  about  eighty  j'ears  old.  His 
wife  survived  him  some  five  years,  dying  in 
1892  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  They 
were  originally  members  of  the  Protestant 
Methodist  church,  but  later  in  life  united 
with  the  Congregational  church.  The 
brothers  and  sisters  of  I.  H.  Skinner  were 
Reuben.  John,  Cornelius,  Jesse,  Mar\-,  Eliza, 


504 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  a  sister  who  was  drowned  in  the  Sus- 
quehanna river.  Of  these,  Jesse  died 
when  quite  young,  while  the  other  brothers 
Hved  to  be  about  eighty  years  old.  Of  the 
sisters,  Eliza  married  Aaron  Fox.  The  par- 
ents of  Pollie  Ann  Skinner  were  George  and 
Fannie  Dickson,  who  came  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Illinois,  in  1844,  about  the  same 
time  the  Skinners  came.  They  were  the 
parents  of  James,  Robert,  Joseph,  Jane, 
I-iezian,  Pollie  Ann  and  Sallie,  all  of  whom 
are  deceased  except  Joseph,  who  resides  in 
Sandwich.  Illinois. 

I.  H.  and  Pollie  Ann  Skinner  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  six  are 
yet  living,  while  two  died  in  early  childhood. 
The  living  are  George  Anson,  who  resides 
in  La  Salle  county,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming;  Thomas,  a  farmer  residing  in  Ida 
county,  Iowa;  Eldridge,  who  served  in  the 
war  for  the  Union,  and  is  now  a  retired 
farmer  residing  in  Sandwich;  James  M.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of 
William  Corke,  living  on  a  farm  in  La  Salle 
county;  and  Joseph,  a  farmer  residing  in 
Taylor  county,  Iowa.  Of  the  deceased. 
Robert  enlisted  in  May,  1861,  in  the  Thir- 
teenth Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  served 
under  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  and  was  mortally 
wounded  by  a  minie  ball  in  battle  at  Ring- 
gold Gap,  Georgia,  and,  after  living  nine 
days,  passed  away.  His  father  was  with 
him  when  he  died,  had  the  body  embalmed 
at  Nashville,  and  brought  it  to  Northville 
township,  La  Salle  county,  and  had  it  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  where  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  lie  buried.  He  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner  on  the  first 
charge  at  Vicksburg,  was  paroled,  and  re- 
turned home.  After  being  exchanged  he 
rejoined  his  regiment,  and  was  with  it  but  a 
short  time   when  stricken    down.      His  age 


at  the  time  of  death  was  twenty-six  years. 
Howell,  another  son.  died  at  the  same  age. 
John  W.  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
Two  children.  Perry  and  Cynthia  A.,  died 
in  infancy. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  farm,  and  remained  with  his  parents 
until  February.  1865,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  did  guard 
duty  in  east  Tennessee,  also  at  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  and  later  in  Georgia.  He  was 
discharged  at  Memphis,  September  25. 
1865.  He  stood  the  service  very  well,  was 
never  wounded  or  taken  prisoner.  The  war 
closing,  he  returned  to  his  farm,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  the  shares,  but  later 
purchased  and  still  owns  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  in  Northville  town- 
ship. La  Salle  county,  a  farm  which  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  well  im- 
proved in  every  way,  and  which  is  devoted 
to  stock  and  grain  purposes.  At  present  it 
is  rented,  his  tenant  keeping  a  number  of 
cows  and  sending  the  milk  to  the  dairy. 

Mr.  Skinner  has  been  twice  married, 
first  January  25,  1872.  to  Miss  Mary  Fox,  a 
daughter  of  J.  M.  Fox.  She  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  died  September  19,  1880,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-eight  years.  On  the  2d  of  March, 
1893,  ^'r.  Skinner  married  Mrs.  Altha 
Wright,  widow  of  Carter  E.  Wright,  who 
served  his  country  in  the  war  for  the  union, 
enlisting  in  1862,  in  Company  H,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  died  January  20,  1890,  at  the 
age  of  forty-nine  years. 

Mrs.  Skinner  was  the  daughter  of  Levi 
Wright,  and  was  sixth  in  a  family  of  seven 
children.  Martha  died  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen jears.      Mary  is  the  widow  of  Lorenzo 


THE   BIOGR.APHICAL   RECORD. 


j^s 


Hubbard.  William  F.  served  in  Company 
K,  Forty-second  Regiment,  Illinois  \'olun- 
teer  Infantry,  enlisting  in  May.  iS6i.  He 
now  resides  n  Somonauk.  John  H.  en- 
listed in  May,  1861,  in  the  Thirteenth  Regi- 
ment, Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  served 
with  honor  for  three  years,  then  re-enlisted 
in  the  One  Hundredth  and  Fifty-Sixth  Regi- 
ment. Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  died 
unmarried.  January  18.  1893.  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  George  M.  D.  resides  in 
Somonauk,  Illinois.  James  E.  is  a  drug- 
gist residing  in  Genesee,  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Skinner's  father,  Levi  Wright,  served  in  the 
war  of  181 2,  and  her  paternal  grandfather. 
Steven  Wright,  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Her  first  marriage  was  in  1867,  to  Carter 
E.  Wright,  who  was  also  a  soldier  in  the 
war  for  the  union,  and  who  died  in  1890. 

Mrs.  Skinner  is  a  Daughter  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  was  a  daughter  of  a  soldier  of 
the  war  of  1812,  was  the  wife  of  a  soldier 
of  the  late  war,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  one 
who  participated  in  the  war  for  the  union. 
She  also  had  two  brothers  in  that  war,  and 
is  to-day  president  of  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Eastern 
Star.  Fraternally  Mr.  Skinner  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Carter  E.  Wright  Post,  No.  772,  G. 
A.  R..  of  Somonauk,  of  which  he  is  now- 
serving  as  adjutant.  He  is  a  good  business 
man,  takes  an  interest  in  all  the  enterprises 
of  the  communitj,  and  is  one  of  De  Kalb 
county's  worthy  and  valued  citizens. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


ENOCH  P.  ROWLEY,  of  Waterman, 
has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb  count}- 
since  1869  and  of  the  stale  since  1857. 
He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  Ren- 
sselaer county,  April    18.  1827.     The  Row- 


leys are  of  English  descent,  the  first  of  the 
name  originallj-  settling  in  New  York. 
Da\  id  Rowley,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Dutchess  county,  New- 
York,  and  moved  to  Rensselaer  county, 
when  the  county  was  little  better  than  a 
wilderness.  There  he  made  his  home  in 
the  forest  from  which  he  cut  the  timber, 
cultivated  the  ground  and  reared  his  family. 
.\shbel  Rowley  was  the  son  of  David  Row- 
ley, and  the  father  cf  our  subject.  He  was 
reared  in  Rensselaer  county,  and  in  the 
second  war  with  Great  Britain  served  his 
country  as  a  member  of  (,r.e  of  the  New- 
York  regiments.  He  married  in  Renssel- 
aer county.  Miss  Betsy  Tryon,  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  near  the  Hudson  river. 
In  1856,  he  came  west  with  his  family,  and 
settled  near  Kaneville,  Kane  county,  where 
he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life,  dying  at 
the  residence  of  one  of  his  children,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1864.  His  wife  died  February  20, 
1863. 

In  his  native  counts-,  Enoch  P.  R.wlsy 
grew  to  manhood,  spending  his  boyhood 
and  youth  on  the  farm.  In  early  life  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  and  joiner's  trade, 
and  follow-ed  the  business  for  a  few  years. 
He  was  married  December  8,  1S55,  to  Miss 
Joanna  Marvin,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Rensselaer  countj',  and  a  daughter  of 
Peter  D.  Marvin,  a  member  of  one  of  the 
old-time  families  of  that  county.  By  this 
union  there  were  nine  children,  seven  of 
w-hom  are  yet  living.  Willis  A.,  a  con- 
.  ractor  and  builder,  resides  in  Waterman. 
George  W.  resides  in  De  Kalb,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  contracting  and  building. 
James  L. ,  also  a  contractor  and  builder,  re- 
sides in  Waterman.  Sidney  is  an  engineer, 
but  in  his  youth  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.     Charlotte  E.  is  the  wife  of  Ira  Kirk- 


5o6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


patrick,  of  Chicago.  Frances  Isabella  is 
the  wife  of  Harry  Bradbury,  a  merchant 
and  postmaster  at  Waterman.  Julia  A.  is 
the  wife  of  John  Arnold,  a  farmer  of  Cal- 
houn county,  Iowa.  Marvin  E.  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Grant  M.  died  at  the  age  of 
eight  years,  by  a  stroke  of  lightning. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Rowley  came  to  Illinois, 
and  located  near  Kaneville,  Kane  county, 
joining  his  father,  who  had  previously  re- 
moved to  that  place.  He  there  followed 
contracting  and  building  for  si.\  years,  then 
engaged  in  farming  in  Sugar  Grove  town- 
ship for  about  five  years,  then  went  to  the 
village  of  Sugar  Grove,  built  a  shop  and 
residence,  and  there  resided  for  nearly  a 
year,  then  sold  out  and  went  to  Kaneville, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  six  months. 
In  1869  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and 
for  two  years  leased  his  brother's  farm  near 
Waterman,  after  which  he  purchased  a 
place  of  sixty-five  acres  in  Clinton  township, 
to  which  he  later  added  seventy-five  acres 
more,  and  then  an  additional  forty,  making 
a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  That  land  he  cultivated  for  some 
years,  then  sold  off  one  hundred  acres,  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  adjoining.  Later  he  sold  off 
eighty  acres,  and  after  remaining  on  that 
farm  four  years  longer,  he  sold  and  moved 
to  Waterman,  where  he  purchased  four 
residence  lots,  and  built  on  three  of  the  lots 
neat  and  substantial  residences.  Two  of 
these  he  afterwards  sold,  but  purchased 
other  residence  lots  and  built  more  houses, 
adding  greatly  to  the  appearance  of  Water- 
man. 

In  March,  1898,  Mr.  Rowley  purchased 
a  stock  of  groceries  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  at  Waterman. 
Since   the   organization   of   the  Republican 


party,  he  has  advocated  its  principles  and 
voted  that  party  ticket.  He  was  elected 
one  of  the  highway  commissioners  of 
Clinton  township  and  served  six  years,  and 
during  that  entire  time,  served  as  treasurer 
of  the  board.  He  also  served  on  the  board 
of  trustees  in  his  township,  and  has  been 
street  commissioner  in  Waterman.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  Mason,  holding  membership  in 
the  blue  lodge  at  Waterman,  and  the  chap- 
ter at  De  Kalb.  For  eight  jears  he  served 
as  worshipful  master  of  the  Waterman  lodge. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Eastern 
Star  lodge.  W'eh  known  in  De  Kalb  and 
Kane  counties,  Mr.  Rowley  has  a  host  of 
friends  in  each. 


FRANK  K.  SCOTT,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  on  section  22,  Genoa  town- 
ship, was  born  on  the  farm  north  of  the  one 
where  he  now  resides,  in  November,  1863. 
His  father,  William  Scott,  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  October  15,  1826,  and 
who  came  west  in  1850,  locating  in  De  Kalb 
county.  He  married  Harriet  Beebe,  in 
Genoa,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  born 
January  9,  1827,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Beebe.  They  became  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  three  are  yet  living. 
Sarah  married  Isaiah  Siglin.  Emma  Jane 
married  Charles  Tauglen,  who  died,  and 
afterwards  she  married  Charles  Deardruff. 
Frank  R.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  By 
trade  William  Scott  was  a  mason,  but  made 
farming  his  principal  business  during  the 
greater  part  of  his  life.  He  died  on  his  farm 
in  Genoa  township,  June  30,  1869.  His 
parents  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  his  mother 
dying  when  seventy-five  years  old,  and 
his  father  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven 
years. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


•o; 


Frank  R.  Scott  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  attended  the  district  school  until  the 
age  of  sixteen  years,  attending  principally  in 
the  winter  months.  He  began  life  for  himself, 
however,  when  fifteen  years  old,  and  worked 
out  for  neighboring  farmers  for  three  years. 
When  eighteen  years  he  began  farming  for 
himself,  and  continued  to  be  thus  engaged 
until  the  fall  of  1891,  when  he  went  to 
Chicago,  and  was  employed  as  a  teamster 
one  year.  He  was  then  a  street  car  con- 
ductor two  years,  at  which  time  he  came 
back  to  Genoa,  and  was  janitor  of  the  school 
house  for  two  years.  In  1S96,  he  returned 
to  the  farm,  where  he  has  since  continued  to 
reside. 

Mr.  Scott  was  married  in  Sycamore, 
January  6.  1S87.  to  Miss  Catherine  Bald- 
win, born  in  Hopewell  township,  Mercer 
county.  New  Jersey,  and  first  in  a  family  of 
five  children  born  to  Moses  and  Henrietta 
(Lowej  Baldwin,  the  latter  being  a  daughter 
of  Abraham  and  Catherine  (Craft)  Lowe. 
Moses  Baldwin  was  born  in  Hopewell  town- 
ship. Mercer  county.  Xewjersej%  September 
19,  1840.  and  is  the  son  of  John  Baldwin,  a 
farmer  of  Mercer  county.  New  Jersey,  who 
married  Esther  Abbott,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  (Danbury:  Abbott.  John 
Baldwin  was  the  son  of  Moses  and  Mary 
(Beaks)  Baldwin.  In  his  native  township, 
Moses  Baldwin  grew  to  manhood,  and  on 
the  22nd  of  December,  1862,  enlisted  in 
Company  .\,  Third  New  Jersey  Cavalry,  and 
served  about  three  years.  He  was  in  the 
seven  days  battle  in  the  Wilderness,  was 
at  Spottsylvania  Courthouse,  Chickahominy 
river,  siege  of  Petersburg,  twenty-one 
days  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  in  the 
battle  at  Winchester  had  three  ribs  broken 
and  his  skull  bone  broken  at  the  same  time. 
He  was  sent  to  the  field  hospital  at  Harper's 

25 


Ferry,  and  from  there  to  hospitals  in 
Washington,  Port  Tobacco  and  Poolville, 
Maryland.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Washington,  and  discharged  at  Trenton, 
New  Jersey.  August  2,  1865.  He  then 
resided  in  Trenton  until  1884,  engaged  in 
his  trade  of  shoemaker,  and  then  came  to 
Genoa.  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  since  continued  to  reside. 

■To  our  subject  and  wife  five  children 
have  been  born — Minard  R.,  Phila  A., 
Lewis  F..  Henrietta,  and  Beth  B.  In 
politics  Mr.  Scott  is  a  Republican,  having 
voted  that  part}-  ticket  since  attaining  his 
majority.  He  is  now  serving  as  school 
director  in  his  district. 


CHARLES  H.  WHITE,  postmaster  of 
Somonauk  and  a  retired  farmer,  was 
born  in  De  Kalb  county,  July  2,  1859.  and 
is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Ann  Eliza  (Tucker') 
White,  the  father  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  New  York,  born  February  15,  iSr5. 
By  trade  he  was  a  shoemaker  and  followed 
that  occupation  while  residing  in  the  east. 
In  the  spring  of  1856  he  came  west  and 
rented  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  sec- 
tion 9,  Somonauk  township,  and  in  1859 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  29.  He  there  continued 
to  reside  during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
dying  on  the  homestead.  February  18,  1882. 
He  was  a  hard  worker,  well  and  favorably 
known,  had  hosts  of  friends,  was  successful 
in  business,  and  was  of  a  disposition  to  make 
and  keep  friends.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Washington  county.  New  York,  June  28, 
181 5.  She  was  the  only  daughter  in  a 
family  of  ten  children,  one  brother,  Will- 
iam, now  residing  in  Jo  Daviess  county, 
being  the  only  survivor  of  that  large  family. 


5o8 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


She  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  Somonauk  and  was  of  a 
quiet,  retiring  disposition,  making  much  of 
home  and  home  surroundings.  She  was 
the  mother  of  ten  children,  our  subject 
being  the  youngest  of  the  family.  Will- 
iam, Julia  and  James  died  while  the  family 
yet  resided  in  Washington  county,  New 
York.  Puella  married  John  A.  Armstrong, 
but  is  now  deceased.  Her  only  child,  Car- 
rie A.  Armstrong,  was  assistant  postmaster 
of  Somonauk  for  three  years.  She  is  now 
at  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado.  Robert 
died  March  7,  1880,  when  about  thirty  years 
of  age.  He  married  Emily  Manly,  of  Jo 
Daviess  county,  Illinois,  who  only  lived  six 
months  after  their  marriage.  Emily  A. 
married  W.  J.  Randies,  of  Clinton  town- 
ship, De  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  She  died 
February  17,  1888,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years,  leaving  four  children,  Mattie 
J.,  Leroy,  Andrew  and  Anna.  Martha  and 
Mary  were  twins,  the  latter  died  when  two 
years  of  age.  Martha  resides  with  her  broth- 
ers, Charles  H.  and  Hampton  E.  Hamp- 
ton E.  is  a  farmer  and  auctioneer,  residing 
one  mile  north  of  Somonauk.  He  married 
Margaret  E.  Henry,  and  their  children  are 
Mary,  Henry,  William,  Robert,  Nettie  and 
Eugene. 

Our  subject  was  born  and  reared  on  the 
farm  on  section  29,  and  his  education  was 
obtained  in  the  common  schools  of  the  dis- 
trict and  in  the  village  of  Somonauk. 
After  leaving  school  he  continued  to  assist 
his  father  on  the  farm,  and  after  the  latter's 
death  he  remained  on  the  farm  until  he 
commenced  business  for  himself,  in  1885. 
In  June  of  that  year  he  had  the  finest  lot 
of  shorthorn  Durham  of  any  one  in  this 
section  of  the  state.  His  health  failing 
him,    he    was   required   to   leave   the   farm, 


and  this  to  hirn  was  a  sore  trial,  for  the 
reason  that  he  had  been  successful  in  the 
breeding  of  cattle  and  had  become  well 
known  throughout  the  entire  state.  On  leav- 
ing the  farm  he  made  the  following  announce- 
ment: "Owing  to  poor  health  I  have 
rented  my  farm,  and,  therefore,  will  be 
obliged  to  sell  at  public  auction  my  entire 
herd  of  forty-five  thoroughbred  shorthorn 
cattle.  It  is  with  deep  regret  that  I  offer 
this  herd  for  sale  that  I  have  worked  so 
faithfully  to  establish.  It  has  been  my  aim 
to  breed  good,  useful  cattle,  which  would  be 
profitable  to  the  general  farmer  and  breeder. 
This  herd  was  exhibited  in  La  Salle,  Ken- 
dall, Kane  and  De  Kalb  counties,  and  never 
failed  to  carry  off  first  honors,  in  compe- 
tition with  other  shorthorns,  Herefords  and 
polled  Angus  cattle." 

On  the  29th  of  February,  1892,  Mr. 
White  moved  to  Somonauk,  where  for  two 
seasons  he  was  engaged  with  John  Betz  in 
canvassing  and  selling  agricultural  imple- 
ments. On  the  17th  of  October,  1893,  he 
was  commissioned  postmaster  of  Somonauk 
and  took  charge  of  the  office  in  December 
of  the  same  year  after  having  erected  a  new 
building  and  fitting  it  up  for  the  purpose. 
The  office  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  fourth 
class  postoffices  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Ouincy  Railroad.  His  first 
assistant  was  Miss  Carrie  Armstrong,  who 
remained  with  him  three  years.  Frank 
Girodat,  who  remained  in  the  office  one 
year  and  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Bulah 
Jones,  who  is  now  serving.  At  the  close  of 
his  term  a  circular  was  distributed  for  his 
retention  in  office,  and  it  was  signed  by 
nearly  every  patron  of  the  office  without 
reference  to  politics. 

Mr.  White  was  married  January  3,  1883, 
to  Miss   Cornelia   M.  Marshall,  a  daughter 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


509 


of  James  and  Jeannette  (Richey)  Marshall, 
the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  Judge  R.  \V. 
Richey,  of  Henderson  county,  Illinois. 
James  Marshall  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina, born  near  Charleston  and  came  with 
his  parents,  Alexander  and  Mary  (McMillen) 
Marshall,  to  Henderson  county,  Illinois, 
where  they  located  on  a  farm.  He  was 
born  June  8,  1824,  and  died  October  2, 
1896.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and 
religiously  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church.  She  was 
born  July  24,  1829,  and  yet  resides  on  the 
home  farm.  Her  brothers  were  Thomas 
G.  and  James  H. .  while  her  sisters  were 
.\nn  M.  and  Mar\'  E.  The  former  married 
John  A.  Marshall.  The  latter  is  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  and  has  an  excellent 
reputation  as  such. 

Judge  Richey  held  the  office  of  county 
judge  of  Henderson  county  for  seventeen 
years.  The  county  was  strongly  Repub- 
lican, and  he  a  pronounced  Democrat,  but 
not  an  offensive  one.  He  retained  the  office 
until  failing  health  admonished  him  that  he 
must  give  way  and  do  less  work.  James  A. 
Marshall,  the  father  of  Mrs.  White,  was  one 
of  seven  children — Robert,  Daniel,  John, 
James  A.,  Jane,  Hugh  and  William.  All 
are  h'vingwith  the  exception  of  William  and 
James  A. 

Mrs.  White  is  one  of  eleven  children,  as 
follows:  Viola  M.,  wife  of  J.  W.  McClin- 
ton.  residing  in  South  Henderson,  Illinois; 
James  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years;  Mary  H.,  wife  of  W.  A.  Speers,  re- 
siding in  Stronghurst,  Illinois;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Cecil  McArthur,  residing  in  South 
Henderson,  Illinois;  Cornelia  .M.,  wife  of 
our  subject;  Louisa  J.,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  three  years;  Charles  R.,  who  resides 
near  the  old   home  and   owning  part  of  the 


Marshall  estate ;  John  D. ,  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  residing  near  Walton.  Kansas;  Flor- 
ence ^'. ,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  Thomas,  residing  at  home;  and  Hugh, 
residing  at  Stronghurst,  where  he  is  reading 
medicine. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  two  children 
have  been  born,  Emma  J.  and  Thomas  M. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  \\'hite  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
and  is  president  of  the  Home  Forum,  at 
Somonauk. 

Mr.  \\'hite  still  owns  the  old  homestead 
on  section  29,  Somonauk  township,  together 
with  a  neat  and  homelike  residence  in  the 
village  and  also  the  brick  building  in  which 
the  postoffice  is  kept.  In  connection  with 
his  postal  work,  he  runs  a  stationery  store 
and  news  depot.  On  the  ijt^i  of  October, 
1895,  he  met  with  quite  a  loss  by  fire,  hav- 
ing three  barns,  valued  at  two  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars,  together  with  a  lot  of  grain, 
destroyed.  The  buildings  have  all  been  re- 
placed and  the  farm  is  in  excellent  condi- 
tion. The  cause  of  the  fire  is  unknown, 
but  presumed  to  have  been  spontaneous 
combustion.  It  was  a  close  call  for  the 
house,  which  would  have  been  consumed 
had  it  not  been  for  friends  and  good  neigh- 
bors, to  whose  kindness  he  has  always  felt 
grateful. 


CW.  FALTZ,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Reveille.  Somonauk,  is  a  native 
of  the  village,  born  January  14,  1870,  and 
is  the  son  of  Adolph  and  Bertha  (Buser) 
Faltz,  the  former  a  native  of  Nassau,  Ger- 
many, and  the  latter  born  near  Barsal, 
Switzerland.  The  father  who  was  born 
December    14.   1831,  came  a  single   man  to 


§IO 


tHE  Biographical  record. 


America  in  1852,  and  settled  in  New  York 
city  where  he  remained  sixteen  years,  be- 
fore taking  up  his  residence  in  Somonauk, 
IlHnois.  He  left  his  native  land  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel,  and  was  thirty-four  days  on  the 
water.  His  mother  and  two  of  his  broth- 
ers, Fred  and  Henry,  came  with  him. 
Henry  died  in  New  York  city  when  about 
fifty-seven  years  old,  but  Fred  j'et  resides 
in  Somonauk  at  the  age  of  about  seventy- 
four  years.  He  was  the  first  of  the  family 
to  move  to  Somonauk,  having  spent  but 
two  years  in  New  York.  By  trade  Adolph 
Faltz  was  a  carpenter  and  also  a  painter. 
He  married  Bertha  Buser,  December  24, 
1 86 1.  She  came  across  the  water  with  her 
parents,  John  and  Fannie  Buser.  Her 
father  was  a  mechanic  and  inventor.  One 
of  his  inventions  was  a  numbering  machine 
which  was  very  valuable.  More  than  forty 
models  of  his  inventions  are  now  on  file  at 
the  patent  office  in  Washington.  He  had  a 
wonderful  mechanical  genius  and  worked  in 
wood  and  all  metals.  His  death  occurred 
in  New  York  when  nearly  sevent3'-four 
years  old.  In  religion  he  and  his  wife  were 
Lutherans.  Her  death  occurred  many 
years  prior  to  that  of  her  husband,  when 
she  was  about  forty-eight  years  of  age. 
She  was  one  of  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Nataline,  who  is  unmarried  and  residing  in 
New  York  city;  Bertha,  the  mother  of  our 
our  subject;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Isaac  Stil- 
well,  residing. in  New  York  city;  Fred,  re- 
siding in  New  York  city;  Albert,  also  resid- 
ing in  the  same  city;  Emma,  who  died  when 
about  twenty-five  years  old;  Julia,  wife  of 
Martin  Beam;  and  Mary,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  Conrad  Faltz, 
lived  and  died  in  the  old  country,  his  death 
occurring   when    the    father   of   our  subject 


was  but  one  year  old.  He  was  forty-eight 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mrs. 
Bertha  A.  Faltz  was  born  May  25,  1838. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
while  her  husband  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children.  Fannie  is  a  trained 
nurse,  a  graduate  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  hos- 
pital of  Chicago.  She  resides  in  Evans- 
ton,  and  is  employed  by  the  Women 
Club  of  that  city.  Hattie  yet  resides  at 
home.  Charles  W.  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Albert  Henry  and  Ada  May  j'et 
reside  at  home.  The  latter  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Somonauk  High  School  and  is  pre- 
paring for  a  teacher. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  Somonauk 
and  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  the 
age  of  si.xteen  years.  He  learned  the  print- 
ing trade  in  Somonauk  and  later  went  to 
Rockford,  Illinois,  and  subsequentlj-  to  El- 
gin, Illinois,  to  get  a  more  extensive  knowl- 
edge of  the  business.  At  Rockford  he  was 
employed  in  the  office  of  the  Daily  Gazelle, 
and  at  Elgin  was  first  with  the  Cook  Pub- 
lishing Company  and  later  in  the  Daily 
News  office,  after  which  he  was  foreman  of 
the  Democrat.  In  January,  1892,  he  re- 
turned to  Somonauk  and  purchased  the 
office  of  the  Reveille,  being  at  that  time 
the  youngest  publisher  and  proprietor  of  a 
newspaper  within  a  radius  of  many  miles. 
He  was  then  just  past  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  In  the  publication  of  the  paper  he 
has  met  with  good  success,  while  in  the 
job  line  he  is  well  prepared  to  do  all  kinds 
of  printing  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner. 

Mr.  Faltz  was  married  August  20,  1890, 
to  Miss  Maria  Py,  a  daughter  of  Sylvan  and 
Mary  (Henry)  Py,  the  former  a  native  of 
France  and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who 
came  to  America  with  his  father,  Ferdinand 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1 1 


P\,  who  located  near  Portsmouth,  Ohio. 
He  had  one  sister,  Adella,  who  married 
August  Barlow,  who  died  many  years  since. 
The  family  came  across  the  water  in  a  sail- 
ing vessel,  having  a  very  stormy  passage 
and  being  sixty-three  days  on  the  water. 
Ferdinand  Py  died  from  injuries  received  in 
a  runaway.  Sylvan  Py  lived  with  his  par- 
ents after  his  marriage  and  the\-  all  came  to 
Lee  county.  Illinois,  in  1862,  soon  after  the 
marriage  was  celebrated.  In  Lee  county 
Sylvan  Py  engaged  in  farming,  which  occu- 
pation he  continued  until  his  death  in  1S72, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years.  He  left  five 
children.  The  eldest  son  was  born  in  Lee 
county  March  19,  1S63.  He  married  Miss 
Josie  Rjan,  of  Amboy,  Illinois,  July  23, 
1888,  and  died  November  12,  1894,  leaving 
two  children,  May  Catherine  and  Francis 
Albert.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer. 
Eugene  A.  is  a  traveling  salesman  and  re- 
sides in  West  Brooklyn.  Lee  county,  Illi- 
nois. Eliza  married  Henrj'  F.  Gehant,  a 
banker  of  West  Brooklyn,  Illinois,  and  they 
have  four  children.  Oliver,  Julian,  Henry 
and  an  infant.  Clementine  died  at  the  age 
of  four  jears.  Mrs.  Faltz  was  ne.xt  in  order 
of  birth.  Mary  Adella  married  Charles  R. 
Frank  and  they  have  four  children,  Flor- 
ence I.,  Irwin  J.,  Claudius  W.  and  Percy 
E.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  Jan- 
uary 31,  1890.  She  was  born  in  France 
January  i,  1844.  and  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  America  in  1850,  and  with  them 
settled  near  Portsmouth,  Ohio.  After  the 
death  of  her  husband  she  remained  on  the 
farm  in  Lee  county,  but  in  1875  married 
Claude  Gehant,  of  Bradford,  Lee  county, 
Illinois.  They  became  the  parents  of  six 
children  — Clementine.  Edward.  Louise. 
Josie.  Victoria  and  Margaret.  Of  these 
Josie  died  at  the   age    of    nine    years    and 


Clementine    is    now    the    wife    of    Alfred 
McRae  and  they  have  one  child,  Gladys. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faltz  two  children 
have  been  born,  Harold  A.  and  Gladys  L. 
The  latter,  who  was  born  April  22,  1892, 
died  January,  1S93.  Religiously  Mrs. 
Faltz  is  a  Catholic.  Fraternally  Mr.  Faltz 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe 
and  Home  Forum  Benefit  order  at  Somo- 
nauk.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs, 
being  a  frequent  delegate  to  county  con- 
ventions. Personally  he  is  a  man  of  genial 
nature  and  generous  impulses  and  has  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
who  hold  him  in  the  highest  regard. 


WILLIAM  HOYT,  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  De 
Kalb  township,  a  man  true  to  the  principles 
which  he  professed,  not  only  in  letter  but 
in  spirit.  He  believed  in  and  carried  out 
the  golden  rule  all  through  his  life.  While 
he  was  a  strong  adherent  of  the  Democratic 
party,  he  was  never  a  partisan,  but  carefully 
read  both  sides  of  every  question,  giving 
credit  where  credit  was  due.  Not  only  was 
he  a  close  observer,  but  a  deep  thinker,  and 
had  a  remarkable  memory.  He  was  born 
at  Schenectady,  Herkimer  county,  New 
York,  July  4,  1826,  and  was  the  son  of 
Louis  S.  and  Almira  Hoyt,  both  natives  of 
New  York  state,  the  former  born  August  21, 
1798,  and  the  latter  July  18,   1801. 

Louis  S.  Hoyt  came  to  De  Kalb  county 
in  November,  1850,  locating  on  section  5, 
De  Kalb  township,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  with 
some  improvements.  He  further  improved 
the  place  and  on  that  farm  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  peace  and  happiness. 


5'; 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  was  a 
steward.  He  was  quite  philanthopically  dis- 
posed, and  in  the  early  settlement  of  the 
county,  when  educational  facilities  were 
limited,  he,  together  with  a  Mr.  Moore, 
erected  a  school  house  with  their  own  means 
and  presented  it  to  the  district.  Louis  S. 
and  Almira  Hoyt  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  named  children;  Esther  P.,  born 
October  13,  1824;  William,  July  4,  1826; 
Maltbie,  May  6,  1830;  Julia,  July  29,  1831; 
Louis,  April  7,  1834;  Erskine,  August  28, 
1838;  Susan  G.,  April  12,  1840;  and  Hiram, 
November  22,  1843. 

William  Hoyt  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  county,  and  on  ihe  6th  of  January, 
I  85  I,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lydia  Wolfe,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Susan  Wolfe,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year 
they  removed  to  Sycamore,  De  ICalb  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  they  remained  one  year. 
In  1853  they  removed  to  Michigan,  where 
Mr.  Hoyt  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
for  eight  years,  and  where,  by  his  industry 
and  enterprise,  he  accumulated  considerable 
property.  In  1861  they  returned  to  De 
Kalb  county  and  located  on  their  farm  in 
De  Kalb  township,  where  they  remained 
until  September,  1887.  when  they  went  to 
Chicago,  that  their  children  might  have 
better  school  advantages,  and  especially  to 
allow  their  younger  son,  Frank,  an  oppor- 
tunity to  fit  himself  for  the  bar.  From 
Chicago  they  returned  to  their  farm  in  1 89 1 . 

Mr.  Hoyt  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  was  conscientious  in 
all  his  dealings  with  his  fellowmen.  He 
died  September  3,  1894,  aged  si.xty-eight 
years,  and  his  death  was  mourned  not  alone, 
by  his  family,  but  by  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and   acquaintances.      His   widow,  who   was 


born  at  Union,  Luzerne  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, yet  survives  him  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
five  years.  Their  family  consisted  of  the 
following  named  children:  Sarah  A.,  born 
December  14,  1 851,  died  November  20, 
1854;  Laura  A,,  born  September  18,  1853, 
died  January  25,  1861;  Esther  M.,  born 
August  27,  1857,  died  December  23,  1863; 
Benjamin  L. ,  born  July  6,  1859;  Frank  W., 
December  24,  1864;  and  Susan  E.,  August 
19,  1 87 1. 

Benjamin  L.  Hoyt  has  devoted  his  en- 
tire life  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  is  a  man 
who  thoroughly  understands  his  business. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  December  19, 
1882,  with  Miss  Sarah  Jane  Scott,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mary  and  William  Scott.  They  have 
now  three  children — Frankie  L. ,  Sadie  M., 
and  Esther  P. 

Susan  E.,  the  youngest  daughter,  is  a 
graduate  of  one  of  Chicago's  best  schools, 
and  for  a  time  engaged  in  teaching.  She  is 
a  first-class  musician  and  has  given  lessons 
in  music  with  credit  to  herself  and  former 
teachers.  On  the  15th  of  May,  1894,  she 
married  James  H.  Scott,  a  worthy  farmer, 
by  whom  she  has  one  daughter,  Lydia  M. 

Frank  is  a  prominent  attorney  in  Chicago 
who  has  met  with  good  success  in  his  chosen 
profession.  Aiter  receiving  his  elementary 
education  in  the  common  schools  he  entered 
Wells  College  to  fit  himself  for  the  position 
of  teacher,  and  after  the  completion  of  his 
course  taught  school  for  two  years.  He 
then  entered  Union  College  of  Law,  in  Chi- 
cago, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1889 
with  high  honors.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  On  March  17,  1891, 
he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Pritchard, 
daughter  of  William  and  Prudence  Pritchard, 
and  to  them  two  children  have  been  born, 
William  P.  and  Benjamin. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


513 


JOHN  MORRISON,  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  the  village  of  Waterman,  was  for 
years  one  of  the  snbstantial  farmers  of  De 
Kalb  county,  of  which  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent since  1856.  He  is  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, born  in  Perthshire,  March  11,  1819, 
and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Margaret 
(Coventrj-)  Morrison,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  same  shire.  In  his  native 
land  our  subject  grew  to  manhood,  and 
was  educated  in  the  private  schools.  The 
possibilities  of  the  United  States  had  been 
presented  to  him  in  his  youth,  and  he  de- 
termined on  emigrating  to  the  New  World, 
with  a  view  of  bettering  his  condition  in 
life.  In  1 84 1,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
Robert,  he  set  sail  and  landing  in  New- 
York,  there  resided  for  about  ten  years. 

1852,  Mr.  Morrison  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  he  could  do  still  better  by  moving 
west  and  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated near  Batavia,  Kane  count3',  where  he 
had  charge  of  the  farm  of  Mr.  Hoyt,  a 
banker  of  Batavia.  While  residmg  there 
his  parents,  who  had  been  furnished  the 
means  by  their  sons,  John  and  Robert,  also 
came  from  Scotland,  and  joined  their  chil- 
dren, residing  with  them  and  being  cared 
for  by  them  during  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years,  and  the  mother  when  ninety- 
two  years  old. 

In  1856,  our  subject  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Vic- 
tor township,  of  which  about  twenty-five 
acres  had  been  broken,  and  partially  im- 
proved. With  the  aid  of  two  carpenters, 
he  erected  a  small  frame  house  in  one  day 
and  a  half,  into  which  he  moved  with  his 
family,  and  there  resided  while  further  de- 
veloping the  farm.  Later  he  built  a  more 
substantial    residence    and     barn,  together 


with  outbuildings,  tiled  the  place,  set  out 
an  orchard,  and  also  forest  and  ornamental 
trees,  and  in  due  time  had  one  of  the  most 
valuable  farms  in  Victor  township. 

In  February,  1852,  just  previous  to  his 
leaving  New  York,  in  Schenectady  county, 
that  state,  Mr.  Morrison  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  jane  McGue,  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  James  McGue, 
a  substantial  farmer  of  that  county,  of 
Scotch  parentage.  There  were  two  chil- 
dren by  this  marriage,  Agnes  and  William. 
The  former  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Nel- 
son, a  worthy  farmer  of  Victor  township. 

William  Morrison,  the  son,  was  born  in 
Kane  county  and  reared  in  De  Kalb,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  latter  county.  He  married  Miss  Emma 
Higby,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Ottawa, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Higby,  of 
Ottawa.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Ella,  John  and  Willa.  After  his 
marriage  he  located  on  and  took  charge  of 
the  home  farm,  and  was  a  successful  farmer 
until  his  death,  the  result  of  an  accident  in 
November,  1888,  by  falling  some  twenty- 
eight  feet  from  a  haymow.  He  was  a  man 
of  most  exemplary  habits,  of  upright  char- 
acter and  worth,  and  in  his  death  the  aged 
father  and  loving  wife  met  with  a  great  loss, 
but  had  the  heartfelt  sympathy  of  a  host  of 
friends. 

After  the  death  of  his  son,  John  Morrison 
with  his  daughter-in-law  remained  on  the 
farm  and  continued  its  cultivation  until  1 894, 
when  he  rented  the  place  and  they  moved 
to  Waterman,  where  they  now  reside.  Pol- 
itically Mr.  Morrison  has  been  a  Republican 
since  the  organization  of  the  party,  but 
never  desired,  nor  would  he  accept  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Somonauk  United 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his  wife,  who 


514 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


died  January  i,  1888,  was  also  a  member. 
His  faith  in  the  doctrines  and  teachings  of 
that  church  is  steadfast  and  strong.  Mrs. 
William  Morrison  is  a  member  of  the  Wa- 
terman Presbyterian  church.  In  the  forty- 
six  years  in  which  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  county  Mr.  Morrison  has  witnessed 
some  wonderful  changes,  and  in  its  growth 
and  development  he  has  materially  assisted. 
Success  has  in  a  measure  crowned  his 
efforts,  and  he  is  now  enabled  to  live  re- 
tired, enjoying  the  well  earned  rest  secured 
by  a  long  life  of  earnest  toil. 


JOHN  B.  La  BOLLE  is  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  Somonauk.  He  was  born  in 
Serena  township,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois, 
September  14,  1857,  and  is  the  son  of  Aug- 
ustine and  Julia  (Ferry)  La  Bolle,  both 
natives  of  .'\lsace,  Germany.  By  occupa- 
tion Augustine  La  Bolle  was  a  farmer,  both 
in  the  old  country  and  after  his  removal  to 
America.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1855,  and  was  on  the  water  sixty -•eight 
days,  meeting  with  some  severe  storms  and 
the  vessel  having  a  collision  with  another 
one.  After  the  collision  they  went  to  Cork, 
Ireland,  the  nearest  repair  station,  and  were 
there  six  weeks.  They  started  from  Havre, 
France,  and  landed  in  New  York.  .After 
remaining  a  few  days  in  the  latter  city,  they 
came  west  to  Ottawa,  Illinois,  which  was 
their  destination  on  starting.  On  arriving 
at  Ottawa  the  father  engaged  work  in  a 
factory,  where  he  remained  a  few  months, 
then  rented  a  farm  and  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  Later  he  purchased  a  quarter- 
section  which  he  afterwards  sold.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  The 
latter  is  yet  living  at   the  age  of  seventy-six 


years  and  makes  her  home  with  our  subject. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  as 
follows:  Mary,  wife  of  Michael  Carpenter, 
residing  in  Maple  Park.  Illinois;  John  B., 
our  subject;  Charles  A.,  residing  on  a  farm 
south  of  Somonauk;  Joseph  L. ,  living  on  a 
farm  near  De  Kalb;  and  Ellen,  wife  of  George 
Decker,  residing  at  West  Pullman,  Illinois. 
On  the  home  farm  or  subject  grew  to 
manhood  and  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood  received  his  education.  As 
soon  as  able  he  was  set  to  work,  and  from 
that  time  on  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  farm.  He  was  married  December  7, 
1880,  to  Miss  Mary  G.  Mailander,  a  daughter 
of  Conrad  and  Margueritta  Mailander,  na- 
tives of  Germany,  but  who  were  married  in 
this  country.  Conrad  Mailander  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1849,  and  his  wife  in 
1850.  She  came  with  her  parents,  Mathias 
and  Catherine  Kuhlen,  who  settled  in  Long 
Grove,  Kendall  county.  Mathias  Kuhlen 
followed  farming  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
in  17S9,  and  died  many  years  ago  when 
about  seventy  years  old.  His  wife  Cather- 
ine was  born  June  9,  1791,  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  nmety-eight  years,  nine 
months  and  eight  dajs.  Both  died  in  the 
faith  of  the  Catholic  church.  They  had  six 
children,  the  oldest,  Elizabeth,  dying  at  an 
early  age,  before  the  family  left  Prussia. 
John  was  born  in  1824,  and  served  in  the 
Civil  war.  He  came  home  on  a  furlough, 
and  eight  days  after  his  return  to  the  army 
was  instantly  killed  in  one  of  the  battles  of 
the  Atlanta  campaign.  Christian,  born  in 
1827,  died  in  Prussia  in  1849.  Margueritta, 
born  March  i.  1831,  was  married  to  Conrad 
Mailander,  in  1851,  at  Naperville,  Illinois. 
Charles  Joseph,  born  in  1841,  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


515 


mustered  into  the  United  States  service 
September  6.  1S62.  the  regiment  being 
commanded  by  Colonel  V'an  Arman.  He 
was  taken  sick.  died,  and  was  buried  in 
Georgia  about  a  week  before  his  brother 
John  returned  to  the  regiment.  Henr\ , 
born  January  i.  1834,  died  January  5,  1896. 

Mrs.  Mailander  is  the  only  survivor  of 
that  family.  Conrad  Mailanders  parents 
were  Henry  and  Mary  Mailander,  the  latter 
dying  when  he  was  but  two  years  of  age. 
He  was  born  .\ugust  26.  1  S22.  Henry  Mail- 
ander came  to  the  United  States  in  1849. 
lived  here  a  few  years  and  returned  to  his 
native  land,  where  his  death  occurred  about 
1858.  when  he  was  nearly  eighty  years  of 
age.  He  had  five  children  on  coming  to 
America,  as  follows:  Peter,  who  died  in 
Prussia;  Peter  William,  who  came  to  Peru, 
Illinois,  in  1847,  and  there  died;  Mary,  who 
married  Henry  Scmidt,  died  in  Prussia; 
William,  who  lives  in  La  Salle  county,  Illi- 
nois; and  Conrad,  the  father-in-law  of  our 
subject. 

To  Conrad  and  Margueritta  Mailander 
eight  children  were  born,  as  follows:  Henry, 
born  March  10,  1852;  Charles,  born  July  18, 
1854;  Caroline,  now  Mrs.  Eugene  Mathis, 
born  March  i.  1856:  Mary,  born  March  29, 
1858;  Louisa,  now  Mrs.  .Alfred  Sower,  born 
January  2,  1861;  William,  born  February 
22,  1864;  Maggie,  now  Mrs.  Christian  Stein- 
worth,  born  March  18,  1868;  and  Anna  C, 
now  Mrs.  William  Buckler,  born  February 
22,  1870.  The  parents  are  yet  living  and 
make  their  home  in  Somonauk. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  La  Bolle  are  the  parents 
of  three  children — William  C,  Ruby  L,  and 
Luella  C.  They  are  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic church.  Mr.  La  Bolle  takes  little  inter- 
est in  politics.  He  was  formerly  a  Repub- 
lican, but  is  now  a  Prohibitionist.     The  fam- 


ily reside  in  a  most  handsome  home  on  the 
south  side  of  De  Kalb  street.  Mr.  La  Bolle 
also  owns  another  residence  adjoining  and 
both  are  in  good  repair  and  nicely  shaded. 
As  a  farmer  he  has  been  a  splendid  success. 
For  several  years,  in  addition  to  his  farm 
labor,  he  ran  a  threshing  machine  and  did 
very  much  in  that  line.  As  a  carpenter,  a 
trade  which  he  picked  up  from  time  to  time, 
he  has  furnished  plans  and  specifications  for 
many  of  the  buildings  of  Soinonauk  and  sur- 
rounding country.  He  is  pleasant  and  genial 
in  manner,  prominent  in  business  circles  and 
the  success  which  has  attended  his  efforts 
has  been  most  justly  and  deservedly  attained 
by  his  years  of  persevering  labor. 


GEORGE  E.  HUEBER,  who  resides  on 
section  i,  Malta  township,  is  engaged 
in  general  farming,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
enterprising  of  the  young  farmers  of  Malta 
township.  He  was  born  in  the  township, 
January  24,  1864,  and  is  the  son  of  Gottlieb 
and  Elizabeth  fHeiderscheid)  Hueber.  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  who 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  1853,  and  of 
who  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

George  E.  Hueber  is  fourth  in  order  of 
birth  in  his  father's  family.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Malta  township,  where  he 
attended  the  common  schools.  He  has 
always  confined  himself  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  has  been  content  to  be  an  earnest 
and  honest  tiller  of  the  sod.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty-seven 
years  of  age,  at  which  time,  on  the  25th  of 
June,  1893,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Agnes  Hoernecke.  a  native  of  Bruns- 
wick, Germany,  born  February  14,  1871, 
and  a  daughter  of  August  and  Minnie  Hoer- 


5i6 


THE    BIOGR.'\PHICAL   RECORD. 


necke,  both  of  whom  are  also  natives  of 
Germany.  By  this  union  two  children  have 
been  born,  Elizabeth  in  1894,  and  Wil- 
helmina  in  1S98. 

Politically  Mr.  Hueber  is  independent, 
caring  nothing  for  the  honors  and  emolu- 
ments of  public  office.  He  believes  in  vot- 
ing for  the  best  man,  regardless  of  party 
affiliations.      Religiously  he  is  liberal. 


LINCOLN  WATSON,  a  prosperous  and 
well-to-do  farmer  of  Afton  township, 
resides  on  section  17,  on  the  farm  where 
his  birth  occurred  February  15,  1865.  He 
is  the  son  of  \\'illiamand  Johanna  M.  (Cur- 
tis) Watson,  both  of  whom  were  born  near 
Worcester,  Massachusetts,  where  they  were 
married  previous  to  their  removal  to  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  one,  Flora,  dying  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  months.  The  living  are 
Ella,  Abbie,  Lincoln  and  William. 

William  Watson,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  dur- 
ing almost  his  entire  life.  Previous  to  re- 
moving to  Illinois  he  worked  on  a  farm 
as  foreman,  receiving  for  his  services  twen- 
ty-five dollars  per  month.  At  the  age  of 
twenty- five  years  he  came  with  his  wife  to 
De  Kalb  county,  and  soon  afterwards  pur- 
chased the  farm  where  our  subject  now 
lives.  He  became  quite  prosperous  and 
well-to-do,  being  industrious  and  methodical, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1885,  he 
was  the  owner  of  about  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  good  land.  His  death  oc- 
curred when  he  was  fifty-seven  years  of  age, 
and  his  loss  was  deeply  lamented  by  his 
family  and  a  large  circle  of  friends  through- 
out the  county.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
pubHcan  and  religiously  was   a  Second  Ad- 


ventist,  believing  firmly  in  the  teachings  of 
that  church. 

Lincoln  Watson,  our  subject,  grew  to 
manhood  upon  the  home  farm,  and  later 
attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native 
township,  entered  the  high  school  at  Au- 
rora, where  he  spent  three  years.  Leav- 
ing the  school-room  he  settled  down  to 
work  upon  the  farm,  and  has  since  given 
his  undivided  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. On  the  23d  of  December,  1886, 
he  married  Miss  Lizzie  E.  Brown,  a  native 
of  Milan  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  a  daughter  of  Rev.  William 
Brown,  of  De  Kalb,  Illinois.  By  this  union 
there  are  three  children — Reider  W^ ,  Chaun- 
cey  B.  and  John  W. 

Our  subject  owns  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  the  old  Watson  homestead  which 
he  cultivates  in  a  very  successful  manner,  de- 
voting his  time  to  general  farming.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Prohibitionist,  believing  firmly 
that  in  prohibition  lies  the  safety  of  the  re- 
public. Religiously,  like  his  father,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Second  Adventist  church. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  highly  respected,  enjoying 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him. 


ALEXANDER  HOWISON,  who  resides 
on  section  31,  Squaw  Grove  township, 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  in  1847,  snd  has 
here  since  continued  to  reside,  being  num- 
bered among  the  old  settlers  of  the  county. 
He  is  a  natixe  of  Roxburyshire,  Scotland, 
born  November  22,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of 
George  and  Margaret  (Brown)  Howison, 
both  natives  of  the  same  shire.  By  trade 
George  How  son  was  a  weaver,  which  occu- 
pation he  followed  in  his  native  land.  In 
1833,  he  emigrated   to   the    United    States, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


517 


locating  first  in  Washington  county.  New 
York,  where  he  remained  fourteen  years, 
and  then  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Squaw 
Grove  township,  De  Kalb  county.  Two  of 
his  sons,  James  and  William,  came  to  this 
county  in  1845.  and  entered  a  tract  of  land 
on  a  portion  of  which  the  father  located, 
but  only  lived  about  one  year  after  his  nr- 
rival,  dying  at  the  agj  of  si.\ty-one  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  many  years,  dying  at 
the  age  of  eighty  four  years.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
all  of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  well  settled 
in  life.  James,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 
where in  this  work,  resides  in  Sandwich. 
Will  am  is  a  substantial  citizen  of  Clinton 
township.  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  .-Me-Kander 
G.  White,  a  farmer  of  De  Kalb  county. 
Alexander  is  the  subject  of  this  review. 
Robert  is  a  farmer  of  Clinton  township. 

On  a  farm  in  Washington  county.  New 
York,  our  subject  grew  to  manhood,  and  as 
the  opportunity  was  afforded  him,  amended 
the  public  school?.  He  came  west  with  the 
famil)-  in  1847,  ^^'^  remained  with  his  father 
until  after  his  death.  The  first  year  he 
worked  with  his  brother,  and  the  following 
year  purchased  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  of  his  brother  William,  and 
commenced  to  improve  the  farm.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  employment  until  1852,  when 
he  went  to  California,  taking  passage  on  a 
vessel  at  New  York,  and  going  by  way  of 
Cape  Horn,  to  San  Francisco.  On  his  ar- 
rival he  went  into  the  mines  where  he  spent 
one  year,  and  then  engaged  in  gardening. 
.After  residing  in  that  country  for  three  and 
a  half  years,  he  returned  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  to  New  York,  being 
fairly  successful  in  h  s  venture.  .After  rest- 
ing a  brief  time,  he  returned  10  his  farm. 
which   he  continued   to   cultivate  for  some 


years.  In  addition  to  his  original  purchase 
he  also  bought  from  his  I  rother  an  adjoin- 
ing place  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-four 
acres,  and  a  well  improved  farm  in  \'ictor 
township  of  two  hundred  acres. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Howison  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Mc- 
Cleary,  a  nati%'e  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  De 
Kalb  county  when  about  eight  years  old, 
with  her  father,  James  McCleary,  an  early 
settler  of  the  county.  By  this  union  there 
are  three  sons  and  '  wo  daughters — George, 
Jennie,  Mary  Jeanr.ette,  Archie  and  Ralph, 
all  yet  residing  at  hom.e.  Two  are  deceased 
-Ann  Elizabeth  and  Isabella  C. 

Politically  Mr.  Howison  is  identified  with 
the  Prohibition  party,  though  formerly  a  Re- 
publican. He  never  desired  nor  would  he 
accept  office  preferring  to  give>his  time  and 
attention  to  his  farming  interests.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  his  wife  and  children  are  also  mem- 
bers. Success  has  crowned  him  in  his  ef- 
forts, and  by  his  industry  and  economy,  he 
has  accumulated  a  competency,  and  is  the 
owner  of  three  valuable  and  well  improved 
farms,  and  to-day  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  substantial  farmers  in  De  Kalb 
county  and  one  in  whom  the  people  can 
trust  for  his  strict  integrity  of  character. 


LEWIS  BEND  came  to  De  Kalb  county 
in  the  spring  of  1858,  and  now  resides 
on  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  acres,  on  section  29,  \'ictor  township. 
He  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England, 
June  s,  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Watson)  Bend,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  England,  where  their  entire  lives 
were  spent,  the  father  engaging  in  common 
labor.      In  his  native  shire  our  subject  grew 


5i8 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


to  manhood  on  a  farm,  and  received  very 
limited  educational  advantages,  and  al- 
though he  is  now  a  very  well  informed  man, 
the  knowledge  has  since  been  acquired  by 
reading  and  observation.  From  boyhood 
he  had  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
and  therefore  he  determined  to  come  where 
the  opportunities  were  greater  than  in  his 
native  land.  On  the  22nd  of  March,  1852, 
he  took  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel  at  Liv- 
erpool, bound  for  New  York,  in  company 
with  his  brother  Samuel. 

Arriving  at  New  York,  the  brothers  went 
direct  to  Monroe  county,  in  that  state,  and 
there  secured  work  on  a  farm.  Lewis  re- 
mained there  about  one  year  and  a  half,  and 
then  came  west  to  Batavia,  Kane  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  spent  the  first  winter  in  cut- 
ting timber,  and  the  following  spring  went 
to  work  on  a  farm,  and  continued  to  work  by 
the  month  for  some  three  or  four  years.  In 
1858  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
and  rented  a  farm  in  Victor  township,  on 
which  he  resided  for  nine  years.  In  1866 
he  made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  comprising 
a  part  of  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides. 
Some  improvements  had  been  made,  but 
with  characteristic  energy  he  went  to  work 
and  as  the  time  passed  by,  further  improve- 
ments were  made  and  in  1870  he  purchased 
ninety-sevep  acres  additional,  and  has  since, 
built  a  large  and  substantial  residence  and 
large  barns,  together  with  sheds  for  the 
shelter  of  his  stock.  Everything  about  the 
place  shows  the  taste  of  its  owner,  and  that 
he  has  been  industrious,  making  his  farm 
one  of  the  best  in  Victor  township. 

Mr.  Bend  was  married  in  Ohio  in  1854, 
to  Miss  Jane  Sturgis,  also  a  native  of  Lin- 
colnshire, England.  By  this  union  there 
are  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  are  liv- 


ing. Mary  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Wil- 
son, a  farmer  of  Victor  township.  Hester 
is  the  wife  of  Frank  Wells,  and  they  reside 
in  Clay  count) ,  Iowa.  Ella  is  the  wife  of 
Arthur  Parkes,  a  farmer  of  Victor  township. 
Lille  and  Amy  are  young  ladies  at  home. 
Lewis  grew  to  manhood,  married,  and  set- 
tled in  Nebraska,  where  his  death  occurred. 
John  is  married  and  now  resides  in  Nebraska. 
Joseph  remains  at  home  and  assists  in  car- 
rying on  the  home  farm.  Mattie  died  after 
reaching  womanhood.  Lucy  died  at  about 
the  age  of  four  years,  while  Ellen  died  in 
early  childhood.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren has  also  passed  to  her  reward,  her 
death  taking  place  in  December,    1892. 

Politically  Mr.  Bend  is  classed  with  that 
fast  increasing  number  of  men  who  vote  as 
their  conscience  dictates,  without  regard  to 
party.  He  has  never  desired  nor  would  he 
ever  hold  office.  Coming  to  this  country 
without  a  dollar,  he  has  by  his  industry  and 
economy  acquired  a  competency,  and  should 
he  desire,  he  can  rest  easy  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life. 


EDWARD  C.  DAVIS  is  numbered  among 
the  young  and  enterprising  farmers  of 
Paw  Paw  township,  owning  and  operating  a 
well  improved  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy-six  acres  on  section  12,  Paw  Paw 
township.  He  was  born  on  the  old  home- 
stead where  he  now  resides,  June  23,  1870, 
and  is  the  son  of  George  Nelson  Davis,  also 
a  native  of  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  born 
in  1840.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Albert 
Davis,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb 
county,  coming  here  from  Canada  and  lo- 
cating in  Victor  township,  where  he  entered 
land,  opened  up  a  farm  and  reared  his 
family.    George  N.   Davis  grew  to  manhood 


THK    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


519 


in  Victor  township  and  married  Miss  Annis 
Deming,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Asa  Deming,  v%'ho  was  also  an 
early  settler  of  De  Kalb  county.  Immedi- 
ately after  his  marriage,  he  settled  on  eighty 
acres  of  the  farm  where  his  sons  now  re- 
side. Erecting  a  small  frame  house,  he  at 
once  commenced  the  improvement  of  the 
place  and,  as  his  means  increased,  pur- 
chased more  land,  until  he  was  the  owner 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  acres,  all  of 
which  was  under  cultivation.  He  reared 
his  family  on  that  farm  and  there  died  in 
April,  1892.  His  wife  survives  him  and  re- 
sides in  the  village  of  Paw  Paw.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest.  Bertha 
grew  to  womanhood  and  is  now  the  wife  of 
.■\rthur  Wells,  of  Paw  Paw,  Lee  county. 
Earl  resides  with  his   mother   in   Paw  Paw. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  continued  on 
the  home  farm  until  nineteen  \'ears  of  age, 
in  the  meantime  assisting  in  its  cultivation. 
He  received  a  fairly  good  education  in  the 
school  at  Ross  Grove.  When  nineteen 
years  old  he  left  home  and  commenced  work 
at  anything  which  came  to  hand.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1 89 1,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sarah  Bend,  a  native  of  \'ictor  township, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated  and  a 
daughter  of  Richard  Bend,  now  residing  in 
Shabbona  township.  One  daughter  has 
come  to  bless  their  union.  Grace  Davis. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Davis  worked  the 
Bend  farm  for  one  year,  and  after  the  death 
of  his  father,  returned  to  the  old  home- 
stead where  he  yet  resides. engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  Since  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  old  farm,  he  has  built  a  substan- 
tial residence  and  various  outbuildings,  and 
has  put  the  place  under  very  substantial 
improvements.       He    has    been    uniformly 


successful  in  that  which  he  has  undertaken, 
and  being  thoroughly  enterprising  and  in- 
dustrious, it  is  certain  that  success  will  still 
continue  with  him.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  is  now  serving  as  commis- 
sioner of  highways. 


D WIGHT  K.  CROFOOT  is  entitled  to 
distinction  as  one  of  the  most  progress- 
ive and  enterprising  men  of  Sandwich,  hav- 
ing for  years  been  identified  with  its  com- 
mercial interests.  Upon  the  commercial 
activity  of  a  community  depends  its  pros- 
perity, and  the  men  who  are  recognized  as 
leading  citizens  are  those  who  are,  or  have 
been,  at  the  head  of  extensive  business  en- 
terprises. Mr.  Crofoot  is  a  man  of  broad 
capabilities,  who  carries  forward  to  success- 
ful completion  whatever  he  undertakes.  He 
was  born  in  Lewis  count}-.  New  York,  Nov- 
ember 19,  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  R.  D. 
and  Hannah  M.  (Kent)  Crofoot,  the  former 
a  native  of  Connecticut  and  the  latter  of 
New  York.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Adelbert  B.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  boot  and*  shoe  trade  in 
Peoria;  Anna  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years;  Dwight  K.,  our  subject; 
Ralph,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  }-ears; 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  in  January,  1897, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  The 
father  is  still  living,  and  resides  in  Sand- 
wich, being  now  eight3--two  years  of  age. 
He  is  an  attendant  of  the  Universalist  church, 
of  which  faith  he  is  a  believer.  His  wife  was 
also  an  attendant  of  that  church. 

Our  subject  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  Turin,  Lewis  county,  New  York, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
although  he  attended  a  short  time  after  com- 


520 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ing  to  Illinois.  On  leaving  school  he  engaged 
as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store,  and  later, 
with  his  brother  and  C.  H.  Pratt,  engaged 
in  the  same  line  of  trade,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Crofoot  P)ros.  &  Pratt.  The  latter 
retiring  after  a  few  years,  the  firm  became 
Crofoot  Bros.  &  Manchester.  Two  years  later, 
the  brother  of  our  subject  withdrew  from 
the  firm,  and  the  firm  became  Crofoot 
&  Manchester.  For  twenty  years  it  was 
one  of  the  leading  firms  in  Sandwich  and 
had  a  very  extensive  trade.  Our  subject 
then  sold  out,  and  went  into  the  Sedgwick 
Bank,  as  a  supply  for  two  weeks,  but  re- 
mained two  years.  In  June,  1897,  he  was 
appointed  assignee  of  the  Sandwich  Enter- 
prise Company,  and  at  present  writing  is 
still  engaged  in  the  business. 

Mr.  Crofoot  was  married  in  February, 
1875,  to  Miss  Minnie  Chapman  a  native  of 
New  York  and  a  daughter  of  S.  M.  Chap- 
man, of  LaSalle,  Illinois.  By  this  union  si.x 
children  have  been  born — Clara  E.,  Ralph 
D. ,  Olive,  Hazel,  Hannah  M.  and  Doris  K. 

Religiously  Mrs.  Crofoot  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church.  In  politics  Mr. 
Crofoot  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  his 
party  as  a  delegate  to  various  conventions. 
It  is,  however, as  a  business  man  and  not  as 
politician  that  he  is  so  widely  known.  He 
is  now  the  secretary  of  the  cemetery  asso- 
ciation of  Sandwich,  which  is  an  incorporated 
body.  To  Mr.  Crofoot  and  George  Culver, 
the  president  of  the  association,  the  credit 
is  due  for  the  beautiful  appearance  of  the 
cemetery  at  Sandwich.  He  is  one  of  the 
directors  in  the  Sandwich  Fair  Association, 
and  a  stock  holder  in  the  butter  factory. 
He  has  served  his  city  as  alderman,  and  for 
years  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  in  that  position  has  done  much 
in  shaping  educational    affairs  in  Sandwich. 


He  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
has  broad  and  progressive  views,  and  is  well 
informed  on  general  topics.  He  is  of  a 
frank  and  genial  nature,  cordial  in  manner, 
and  is  a  man  who  makes  friends  of  all  who 
have  dealings  with  him. 


HENRY  OSBORN,  who  has  a  well  im- 
proved farm  of  seventy-five  acres  on 
sections  14  and  15,  Mayfield  township,  came 
to  De  Kalb  county  in  1855,  and  has  here 
since  continued  to  reside.  He  is  a  native 
of  England,  born  in  Rutland  county,  Au- 
gust 25,  1834.  His  boyhood  and  youth 
were  spent  on  the  farm  in  his  native  county, 
and  here  had  fair  common  school  ad\an- 
tages  while  there  remaining.  In  company 
with  his  brother,  William,  in  1853,  he  set 
sail  for  America,  and  landing  in  Quebec, 
Canada,  went  directly  from  there  to  Buffa- 
lo, New  York,  where  he  joined  an  older 
brother,  who  had  settled  in  Erie  county, 
that  state.  He  at  once  went  to  work  on  a 
farm,  and  continued  as  a  farm  hand  two 
summers,  and  during  the  winter  of  1853-4 
he  attended  school  near  Buffalo.  In  the 
fall  of  1854  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county 
where  he  joined  his  brother,  William,  who 
had  preceded  him.  He  again  went  to  work 
on  a  farm  by  the  month  and  continued  to 
be  thus  employed  for  about  thirteen  years, 
in  the  meantime  attending  school  a  few 
winter  terms.  He  was  married  in  1868  to 
Miss  Hattie  Bailey,  a  native  of  New  York, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated,  and  a 
daughter  of  S.  S.  Bailey,  who  moved  from 
New  York  to  De  Kalb  county. 

Just  before  his  marriage  Mr.  Osborn 
purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides 
and  located  thereon.  It  was  an  improved 
farm,  but  he  has  since  rebuilt  the  house  and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


i2I 


barn  and  has  made  many  substantial  im- 
provements on  the  place.  Mrs.  Osborn 
here  died  in  November.  1883.  and  Mr.  Os- 
born later  married  Mrs.  Clarissa  De  Low, 
ni'e  Townsend,  a  sister  of  Edwin  Townsend, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  By  this  union  (our  children  were 
born,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Hattie, 
Alice  and  Harry.  Ella  died  at  the  age 
of  eight  years. 

Mr.  Osborn  was  elected  and  ser\ed  as 
commissioner  of  highways  for  three  years, 
and  was  township  collector  one  term.  For 
twenty-three  years  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  fifteen  years  of  which 
time  he  was  its  clerk.  By  his  long  contin- 
ued service  is  shown  conclusively  the  inter- 
est which  he  has  taken  in  the  public  schools 
and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his 
friends  and  neighbors.  Politically  he  is  an 
earnest  and  steadfast  Republican,  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  partj', 
and  one  who  does  not  hesitate  to  vote  his 
party  ticket.  Mrs.  Osborn  is  connected 
with  the  Advent  Christian  church:  both  are 
well  known  and  highly  respected  by  those 
who  have  formed  their  acquaintance. 


JAMES  BLAKE,  deceased,  was  for  many 
years  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  on  sec- 
tions 3  and  10,  De  Kalb  township,  and  was 
numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  native  of  England,  born 
February  7,  1820,  and  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  James  and  Mary  Blake, 
when  he  was  but  nine  j'ears  of  age.  They 
located  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  there  remained 
until  1844,  when  they  came  to  De  Kalb 
county,  Illinois.  After  residing  here  some 
.years  the  father  returned  to  his  native  land 
to  restore  his  shattered  health,  but  without 


avail.  His  death  occurred  while  on  that 
visit,  dying  at  his  old  home  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years.  His  widow  remained  in  De 
Kalb  count\-,  where  she  died  at  an  advanced 
age. 

James  Blake,  our  subject,  removed  to 
De  Kalb  county  two  years  prior  to  the  time 
when  his  parents  catne.  On  his  arrival  he 
took  up  eighty  acres  of  go\ernment  land, 
for  which  he  paid  a  dollar  and  twenty-five 
cents  per  acre,  and  at  once  erected  a  log 
house,  but  did  not  permanently  settle  on 
the  claim  until  the  second  3ear  after  his  ar- 
rival. For  the  first  few  years  the  times 
were  hard  with  him,  but  in  due  time  pros- 
perity came.  To  his  original  purchase  he 
added  eighty  acres  previous  to  the  Civil  war, 
and  during  the  war  he  purchased  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres.  The  last  eighty  acres 
that  he  purchased  was  in  1878. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  with  .\nnie 
Sherd  and  they  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living: 
Viola  Rice,  Cassie,  Albert  and  Mrs.  Fuller. 
Albert  is  fourth  in  order  of  birth  and  was 
born  in  De  Kalb  county,  March  14,  1854, 
and  here  he  has  always  continued  to  reside. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  county  and  was  early  given  his  task 
upon  the  farm.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
December  14,  1875,  with  Miss  Ellen  Heath, 
a  native  of  Herkimer  county.  New  York, 
born  January  6,  1854,  and  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Delilah  Heath,  who  removed 
from  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  to  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  in  i860,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  Mrs. 
Heath  dying  in  August,  1875,  and  Mr.  Heath 
February  8,  1898.  To  Albert  and  Ella 
Blake  one  child  has  been  born,  Clarence  E., 
February  22.  1878.  On  the  25th  of  Octo- 
ber,  1S97,  he  was  united   in   marriage  with 


522 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Miss  Maude  M.  Padd.  of  De  Kalb  township. 
Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father, 
Albert  Blake  is  a  practical  and  prosperous 
farmer. 

Politically  James  Blake  was  a  sound 
Democrat,  and  religiously  a  Presbyterian. 
He  was  an  excellent  farmer,  a  thorough 
business  man,  and  a  lojal  citizen  to  the 
country  of  his  adoption.  He  died  on  the 
old  homestead,  where  he  resided  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  June  17,  1898,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  yeajs.  His  wife  pre- 
ceded him  to  their  heavenly  home,  dying 
February  28,  1895.  They  were  both  greatly 
esteemed  and  well  known  in  De  Kalb  and 
adjoining  counties. 


GEORGE  WHITE  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  d-airying  on  section  9, 
Genoa  township.  He  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides  October  14, 
1849.  His  father,  John  ^^'rlite,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Bavaria,  German)-,  born  March  5, 
181 5,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Bar- 
bara (Bamar)  \\'hite,  both  of  whom  vvere 
also  natives  of  Germany.  In  his  native 
land  John  White  grew  to  manhood  and  in 
1846  came  to  America,  sailing  from  Ham- 
burg and  being  seven  weeks  on  the  voyage. 
He  first  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  three  years  and  where  his  mar- 
riage with  Miss  .Anna  Margaret  Hoffman 
was  celebrated  in  the  fall  of  1846.  She 
was  also  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and 
came  from  her  native  country  on  the  same 
vessel  with  Mr.  White.  The  name  was 
originally  spelled  Weid  and  was  changed  to 
correspond  with  the  pronunciation  in  Amer- 
ica. To  John  and  Anna  M.  White  seven 
children  were  born:  Charles  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania    and    now  lives   in    Delaware 


county,  Iowa,  \\here  he  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing; George  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and 
was  the  first  of  the  familj'  born  in  De  Kalb 
county;  Maggie  and  Carrie,  with  our  sub- 
ject, are  now  owners  of  the  old  home  farm; 
John  is  now  living  in  Delaware  county, 
Iowa;  Henry  lives  in  Butler  county,  Iowa; 
Mary  married  John  Billhorn  and  lives  in 
low'a. 

In  1849  John  White  came  with  his  fam- 
\]y  to  De  Kalb  county  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  in  section  9.  Genoa  town- 
ship, and  at  once  commenced  its  improve- 
ment. He  was  an  industrious  and  thrifty 
man  and  success  crcwned  his  efforts.  From 
time  to  time  he  added  to  his  possessions 
until  he  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  the  greater  portion  of  which 
was  under  cultivation.  He  continued  to 
manage  the  farm  until  after  the  death  of  his 
wife,  which  occurred  July  6,  1896,  when  he 
sold  to  his  son  George  and  daughters  Mag- 
gie and  Carrie,  but  continued  to  reside  with 
them  until  his  death,  January  8,  1898. 
Both  were  good.  Christian  people  and  well 
respected. 

George  White  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
home  farm,  and  in  winter  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  until  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
He  worked  with  his  father  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  after  which  he  continued  to 
work  for  him  for  wages  until  he  purchased 
the  place  after  the  mother's  death.  The 
farm  comprises  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
of  prairie  land  and  about  thirty  acres  of 
timber.  It  is  devoted  to  general  farming 
and  dairy  purposes.  He  milks  about  twenty 
cows,  from  which  they  manufacture  butter, 
and  having  an  established  trade  in  private 
families,  they  dispose  of  all  the  product,  re- 
ceiving one  cent  per  pound  above  the  Elgin 
board  of  trade  price.     In  politics  Mr.  ^^'hite  is 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


523 


a  Prohibitionist  in  sentiment,  and  has  served 
several  terms  as  school  director.  He  is  an 
attendant  at  the  Ney  M.  E.  church,  and  as 
a  citizen  has  a  well  established  reputation 
for  honor  and  integrity. 


JOHN  CARROLL  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  in  1S65  and  now  resides  on  sec- 
tion 7,  Milan  township,  where  he  owns  and 
operates  a  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  near  the  city  of  Wexford  in  1S2S. 
Both  his  parents  died  when  he  was  a  child 
of  eight  years,  from  which  time  forward  he 
was  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1848  and  first 
located  in  Columbia  county,  New  York, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Hudson  and  only 
eight  miles  from  the  Hudson  ri\'er  at  Kin- 
derhook.  He  commenced  work  on  a  farm 
by  the  month,  at  \\hich  he  continued  for 
several  years.  He  later  worked  eight  years 
for  Mr.  Graves,  a  hatter  of  Kinderhook,  and 
while  there  in  1858  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Margaret  McCambly,  a  widow 
lady  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  born  in 
county  Down.  She  was  also  an  employe 
of  Mr.  Graves  and  was  with  him  for  fifteen 
jears,  being  a  specialist  at  hat  trimming. 
While  in  the  employment  of  Mr.  Graves 
she  made  a  cap  for  President  Martin  \'an 
Buren. 

In  1865  Mr.  Carroll  came  to  De  Kalb 
county  and  purchased  a  farm  in  Milan 
township,  where  he  now  resides.  The  place 
was  partially  improved,  but  Mr.  Carroll 
commenced  its  further  improvement  by  the 
erection  of  a  more  substantial  dwelling, 
large  barns  and  other  outbuildings.  Under 
his  management  the  farm  hasbeen  improved 


and   made  one  of   the   most   productive    in 
Milan  township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carroll  are  the  parents  of 
two  children.  William,  the  eldest  born, 
came  to  De  Kalb  county  a  lad  of  si.x  years 
and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  home  schools, 
supplemented  by  two  terms  in  the  high 
school  at  Malta.  He  remained  with  his 
father,  assisting  in  the  farm  work,  until 
after  attaining  his  majority.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  Illinois,  March  28,  1898, 
to  Miss  Mary  Aman,  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, but  reared  in  Chicago.  After  his 
marriage  he  returned  to  the  old  farm  and  is 
now  assisting  in  its  management.  The 
daughter,  Mar)',  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Young,  a  farmer  of  Milan  township.  By 
her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Carroll  has  two 
children,  John  R.,  a  business  man  of  Chi- 
cago, and  Rosa,  wife  of  Theodore  Dangle- 
mayer,  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts. 

Politically  Mr.  Carroll  is  a  staunch 
Democrat  and  has  been  identified  with  that 
party  since  becoming  a  citizen  of  this  coun- 
try. Religiously  he  is  a  Catholic.  For  a 
third  of  a  century  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  county  and  is  a  well  known  and 
highly  respected  citizen. 


RICHARD  W.  BLANCHFIELD  is  a 
farmer  residing  on  section  12,  Syca- 
more township.  He  was  born  in  St. 
Charles,  Illinois,  July  24,  1S55,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  Blanchfield,  a  native  of  county 
Kilkenny,  Ireland,  born  in  1809,  and  died 
in  Sycamore  township  in  1874.  He  came 
to  America  about  1848  on  a  sailing  vessel, 
and  was  six  weeks  in  crossing  the  ocean. 
There  was  much  sickness  aboard  and  two- 
thirds    of    them    died.      They    sailed   from 


§24 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Queenstown  and  landed  at  New  York. 
From  the  latter  place  John  Blanchfield 
came  direct  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained 
about  one  year,  working  on  a  railroad  which 
was  then  under  construction.  He  then 
moved  to  St.  Charles,  where  he  resided  un- 
til 1857,  and  then  purchased  a  farm  lying  in 
De  Kalb  and  Kane  counties,  the  residence 
being  in  De  Kalb  county.  That  farm  he 
continued  to  improve  and  there  resided  un- 
til his  death.  He  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  Catholic  church,  and  in  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat.  For  some  years  he  was  school 
director  and  road  commissioner.  He  was 
a  well  educated  man,  having  obtained  his 
education  in  a  college  in  his  native  county. 
He  married  Bridget  Saunders,  a  daughter 
of  Michael  Saunders,  who  married  a  Miss 
Kern.  Michael  Saunders  was  engaged  in 
the  Irish  Rebellion  in  1798.  He  lived  to 
an  advanced  age.  Mrs.  Blanchfield  died 
in  1884  on  the  farm  of  our  subject.  John 
Blanchfield  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six 
daughters  and  three  sons,  as  follows: 
Michael,  deceased;  James,  residing  in  Cal- 
houn county,  Iowa;  Sylvester,  living  in  Ala- 
bama; Mrs.  Sarah  O'Gara,  living  in  Wis- 
consin; Mrs.  Mary  Lynch,  of  Chicago;  Mrs. 
Anna  Quinlan,  of  Chicago;  Lizzie,  residing 
in  Sycamore  township;  Richard  W.,  our 
subject;  and  Mrs.  Jane  McKennon,  of  Elgin, 
Illinois. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  John  Blanch- 
field, Sr. ,  was  born  and  died  in  Ireland. 
He  was  superintendent  of  estates  and  agent 
for  large  landed  properties.  His  people 
had  fine  estates  at  the  time  of  the  rebellion 
in  1798,  and,  because  of  participation  in  that 
rebellion,  the  land  was  confiscated.  John 
Blanchfield,  Sr. ,  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Rebel  army.  The  family  is  one  of  the  old- 
est in  the  north  of  Ireland.      The  matter  of 


confiscation  of  the  lands  of  the  Blanchfields 
is  mentioned  in  history. 

Richard  W.  Blanchfield  was  but  two 
years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  De 
Kalb  county.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools, 
after  leaving  which  he  entered  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  Business  College,  Chicago,  where 
he  took  a  two  years  course.  Returning  to 
the  farm,  he  remained  with  his  father  until 
twenty-seven  years  of  age.  In  1882  the 
farm  residence  burned,  and  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago where  he  worked  for  four  years  in  a 
wholesale  grocery  house,  his  earnings  being 
used  in  rebuilding  the  residence.  While  in 
the  city  his  brother  and  wife  ran  the  farm. 
On  his  return  he  took  charge  of  the  same, 
and  has  here  since  continued  to  reside,  giv- 
ing his  attention  to  general  farming  and 
stock  raising.  In  politics  he  is  independent. 
Religiously  he  is  a  Catholic,  and  fraternally 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge 
in  Elgin. 


JESSE  F.  POPLIN,  a  farmer  residing  on 
section  28,  Somonauk  township,  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  born  in 
this  township  February  5,  1845,  and  is  the 
son  of  William  B.  and  Rachel  (Harmon) 
Poplin,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina, 
but  who  were  married  in  Illinois,  having 
come  to  this  state  with  their  respective  par- 
ents. William  Poplin  came  to  Illinois 
about  the  year  1829,  and  it  is  said  that  he 
turned  the  first  furrow  in  Somonauk  town- 
ship. F"or  a  time  he  worked  by  the  month 
for  the  father  of  Senator  Cullom.  In  1834 
he  made  claim  to  the  land  in  section  28,  on 
which  he  and  our  subject  now  live.  In 
North  Carolina  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
having  heard    of  the   excellent   qualities  of 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


525 


Illinois  land  he  determined  on  coming  to 
this  state.  The  Harmon  family  into  which 
he  married  came  about  the  same  time. 
They  were  all  good  people  from  that  hospi- 
table Old  North  state,  and  gave  tone  and 
hospitality  to  the  neigborhood  where  they 
located.  They  were  pioneers,  kind,  clever, 
obliging  and  influential,  and  their  latch 
string  was  always  out.  They  were  more 
than  pleased  when  they  received  a  visit  from 
their  neighbors,  the  nearest  of  whom  were 
from  three  to  five  miles  distance.  Chicago, 
more  than  si.xty  miles  away,  was  their  mar- 
ket. After  the  Black  Hawk  war  of  1S32 
the  county  began  to  fill  up,  and  neighbors 
were  more  plenty  and  near.  William  Pop- 
lin was  born  December  23,  1809,  while  his 
wife  was  born  August  26,  i  S 1 1 .  They 
were  married  March  3,  1831,  in  good  time 
to  receive  many  frights  from  the  wandering 
tribes  of  Indians  and  the  calamity  attendant 
on  prairie  fires.  These  good  old  people  who 
were  pioneers  are  still  living,  though  with 
health  somewhat  impaired.  They  were  for 
a  time  known  by  every  resident  of  the  county, 
and  it  is  perhaps  not  much  to  say,  by  almost 
every  resident  of  the  four  counties.  When 
the}-  located  here  there  was  not  a  railroad, 
telegraph,  motor  car,  telephone,  mower, 
reaper,  automatic  binder  or  sewing  machine 
known  in  this  state.  Since  that  time  things 
have  changed.  Then  the  runaway  slaves 
at  times  sought  shelter,  a  thing  we  can 
scarcely  now  believe.  Surely  our  country 
has  made  history  rapidly  during  the  lives  of 
some  who  are  still  on  the  stage  of  action. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  young- 
est of  six  children.  Sarah  J.,  born  Octo- 
ber 13,  1832,  died  October  19,  1834.  Har- 
riet L.,  born  January  25,  1836,  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Somonauk  township. 
She   died    March    7,     18S7.      She    married 


Herbert  Cotton  and  they  had  two  children, 
Clarence  and  Eva.  Mary  A.,  born  Sep- 
tember 10,  183S,  was  burned  to  death 
March  6,  1839.  Rebecca  C.  is  the  wife  of  J. 
Henry,  and  they  have  two  children.  Fan- 
nie E.  is  the  wife  of  C.  V.  Stevens,  a 
banker  of  Somonauk,  and  their  children 
are  D.  F.  and  Ida. 

Jesie  F.  Poplin,  our  subject,  was  reared 
on  the  farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
On  the  1 6th  of  .August,  1S62,  when  but 
seventeen  years  old,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  his  regiment  being  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  With  his 
regiment  he  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Resaca,  Cassville,  Burnt  Hickory,  Dallas 
\\ood,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  and  was  then  in  the  .Atlanta  cam- 
paign, and  the  march  to  the  sea.  At  Law- 
tonville  he  was  wounded,  but  remained  with 
the  division  hospital.  About  thirty  days 
later  they  struck  Goldsboro,  and  later  took 
part  in  the  battles  Averysboro  and  Benton- 
ville.  Proceeding  with  his  regiment,  he 
was  in  the  grand  review  at  Washington, 
and  June  7,  1865,  received  his  discharge, 
after  having  served  two  years  and  ten 
months.  The  wound  he  received  in  his  arm 
still  gives  him  trouble,  and  he  now  draws  a 
pension. 

Returning  home  after  his  discharge,  Mr. 
Poplin  resumed  farming  and  has  made  that 
his  life  work.  He  was  married  April  11, 
1866,  to  Miss  Carrie  C.  Carr,  a  daughter 
of  Stiles  P.  and  Susan  Carr,  old  settlers  of 
Illinois.  By  this  union  there  are  two  chil- 
dren,Theodore,  who  married  Miss-Adel  Suy- 
dan,  and  Carl,  who  resides  at  home.  These 
parents  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Somonauk 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  Sandwich   Chapter, 


526 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


R.  A.  M.,  Aurora  Commandery,  K.  T. ,  and 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  of  Sonionaiik, 
also  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
Home  Forum,  and  Somonauk  Post,  G.  A. 
R.  In  each  of  the  organizations  he  has 
held  office,  being  worshipful  master  of  the 
blue  lodge  of  Masons,  for  three  years.  He 
was  also  commander  of  the  post.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  cast 
his  first  president  vote  for  U.  S.  Grant. 
He  and  his  wife  have  ever  been  people  of 
sterling  worth  and  unquestionable  integrity. 
He  represents  that  class  of  good  American 
citizens,  who  when  the  flag  of  our  country 
was  assailed,  thought  life  itself,  and  all  that 
life  holds  dear,  not  too  good  to  sacrifice  if  nec- 
essary, that  the  laws  of  our  country  should 
be  upheld  and  the  nation  saved.  He  did 
his  part  well  as  a  soldier,  and  as  a  citizen 
he  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all. 


LORENZO  C.  SHAFFER  is  one  of  the 
prominent  business  men  of  Kingston, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business. 
He  was  born  in  Earlville,  Delaware  county, 
lovvj,  April  12,  1865,  and  is  the  son  of  Ira 
and  Helen  (Williams)  Shaffer,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Ohio,  and  v.'ho  followed  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  all  their  lives.  The 
grandparents  of  our  subject,  on  the  mother's 
side,  Chester  and  Sallie  Williams,  were 
born  in  1800,  and  removing  to  Illinois  in 
1840,  located  in  North  Kingston,  where  Mr. 
Williams  look  up  four  hundred  acres  of 
government  land,  and  upon  which  he  built 
and  immediately  began  to  improve  the  land, 
an  J  paved  the  way  for  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Shaffer,  who  in  after  years  resided  upon 
that  farm,  but  who  is  now  living  quietly  in 
the  village  of  Kingston,  a  worthy  and  highly 
respected  lady.      Her  father,  Chester  Will- 


iams, died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight 
years.      She  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1836. 

To  the  parents  were  born  only  one  child, 
Lorenzo  C. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Kingston,  being 
but  one  year  of  age  when  brought  by  his 
mother  to  this  county.  After  attending  and 
graduating  from  the  common  schools  of 
Kingston,  he  entered  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  and  spent  one  year  in 
the  study  of  pharmacy.  Previous  to  this, 
however,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Dr.  J.  H. 
Fellows,  and  after  his  return  from  the  uni- 
versitj',  he  bought  the  establishment  of  his 
former  employer.  He  has  since  been  con- 
tinuously in  the  drug  and  grocery  business, 
and  his  patronage  has  been  equal  to  that  of 
any  other  merchant  in  the  place.  He  is  in 
love  with  his  vocation,  and  his  gentlemanly 
deportment,  his  pleasing  and  affable  man- 
ner, combined  with  strict  adherence  to  busi- 
ness principles,  make  him  a  successful 
business  man. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  1892,  Mr. 
Shaffer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Effie  McCollom,  a  native  of  De  ICalb  coun- 
ty, born  in  May  field  township,  November  5, 
1869,  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Roxie 
McCollom.  In  addition  to  his  regular  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Shaffer  is  secretary  of  the  Iving- 
ston  Creamery  Company.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  town  council  for  three  years.  He  i.? 
a  highly  respected  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 


WILLIAM  VOSBURGH  is  a  practical 
farmer  residing  on  section  29,  Kingston 
township.  He  was  born  in  Canada,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


527 


Mary  (Martin)  Vosburgh,  both  of  whom 
were  also  natives  of  Canada.  In  1868  the 
family  came  to  the  United  States,  and  located 
at  Belvidere,  Illinois,  where  the  mother  died 
the  same  \ear.  The  father  returned  to 
Canadathefollowingyear,  andthere  his  death 
occurred  shortly  after  his  return.  By  occu- 
pation he  was  a  farmer,  and  was  an  honest, 
upright  man.  He  had  been  a  faithful  ad- 
herent of  the  established  Church  of  England 
for  fifty-four  years.  All  those  years  his  wife 
was  also  a  member  of  the  same  church,  and 
both  died  in  peace.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity, and  are  now  living  at  an  advanced 
age. 

William  Vosburgh  was  fifth  in  order  of 
birth,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Can- 
ada. In  1856  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Williams,  a  native  of 
Canada,  and  b\-  this  union  seven  children 
were  born:  EmilyJ.,  John  P.,  Anna,  Elijah, 
Frank,  Carrie  and  Ernest  J.  They  are  all 
farmers  or  wives  of  farmers.  Mrs.  \'os- 
burgh  died  in  1896.  She  was  a  noble  wo- 
man of  spotless  character  and  upright  life, 
and  her  death  was  a  great  loss  to  family 
and  friends. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Vosburgh  came  to  Illinois, 
in  company  with  his  parents,  and  located  in 
Belvidere.  Boone  county,  where  he  remained 
but  a  short  time,  and  then  moved  to  Frank- 
lin township,  De  Kalb  county,  and  subse- 
quently made  some  other  moves,  finally 
locating,  in  1877.  in  Kingston  township, 
where  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  upon  which  he  still  continues 
to  reside.  He  is  a  practical  farmer  and  a 
lov'al  citizen,  and  strongly  advocates  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  When 
in  his  native  country  he  held  to  the  same 
principles  and  voted   them,  but  under  an- 


other name.  No  man  in  Kingston  township 
is  held  in  greater  esteem  than  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 


NICHOLAS  WEBER  is  a  farmer  resid- 
ing on  section  33,  Kingston  township. 
He  is  a  native  of  Lu.xemburg,  Germany, 
born  June  7,  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob 
and  Catherine  Weber,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  German}-.  Jacob  Weber  was  a 
practical  farmer,  and  followed  that  vocation 
all  his  life,  and  died  when  comparatively  a 
young  man,  October  8,  1843.  His  wife 
came  to  this  countrv  in  1864,  and  died  in 
Chicago  in  1869.  Their  family  consisted  of 
eighteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity,  and  si.x  came  to  this  country. 
Bnt  three  of  the  entire  number  are  now 
living. 

Nicholas  Weber  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Germany,  where  he  remained  until  he 
was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he 
emigrated  to  this  country.  He  came  directly 
to  Mayfield  township,  De  Kalb -county,  Illi- 
nois, and  has  remained  in  that  township, 
and  in  Kingston,  up  to  the  present  time. 
He  was  in  this  country  but  three  )ears 
when  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  its 
wild  state.  This  was  in  1857.  That  land 
he  improved  by  the  erection  of  buildings, 
fencing  and  tiling  the  same.  To  the  first 
forty  he  added  another  forty  acres  which 
he  owned  in  partersliip  with  his  brother 
Phillip.  In  1866.  he  sold  out  his  interest 
to  his  brother,  and  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  his  present  farm,  on  which  he  has  erected 
substantial  buildings,  and  otherwise  im- 
proved the  place.  To  the  original  eighty 
he  added  twenty  acres  in  Mayfield  township, 
then  ten  acres  of  timber,  and  forty  acres 
more  of  prairie  land.      With  the  e.xception 


528 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  twenty  acres,  his  farm  all  lies  in  Kings- 
ton township.  On  October  i,  1863,  Mr. 
Weber  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Harriet  M.  Knight,  born  in  Columbus,  Ad- 
ams count}-,  Illinois,  June  3,  1840,  and  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Knight.  Her 
Her  father  was  born  in  Maryland,  June  28, 
1 8 16,  while  her  mother  was  born  in  Wil- 
mington, Green  county,  Vermont,  February 
21,  18 1 5.  Both  are  now  living  in  May  field 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  to  which  place 
they  removed  May  17,  1845,  and  where 
there  have  since  resided.  Their  family 
numbered  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are 
now  living.  They  are  excellent  people  and 
members  of  the  Christian  church. 

To  Nicholas  and  Harriet  M.  Weber,  six 
children  have  been  born,  four  of  whom  are 
living.  Inez  L. ,  born  June  30,  1864,  mar- 
ried Elmer  Hadsall.  Clara  E.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1866,  married  Henry  King.  Jeru- 
sha  E.,  born  July  13,  1867,  died  December 
19,  1872.  Amanda  J.,  born  September  20, 
1869,  married  Wesley  Slafter.  Walter  S., 
born  November  i,  1873,  married  Miss  Han- 
nah Leonhardt,  October  18,  1894,  and  a 
daughter  of  Charles  Leonhardt,  and  they 
have  two  children:  Louis  C,  born  Septem- 
ber 5,  1895;  Jesse  N.,  born  August  27,  1898. 
Hattie  A.,  born  May  21,  1875,  died  Novem- 
ber I  5,  1889.  No  family  in  Kingston  town- 
ship is  more  highly  respected  than  that  of 
our  subject. 


THOMAS  CORNWALL,  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  Sycamore,  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Mardin,  Kent  county,  England, 
June  8,  1828.  His  father,  William  Corn- 
wall, was  born  in  the  same  town  and  county. 
He  was  a  footman  to  gentlemen  and  died  in 
1830  when  about  thirty  years  old.     The  pa- 


ternal grandfather,  William  Cornwall,  Sr. , 
was  a  farm  workman  and  died  when  past 
four  score  years.  His  wife  lived  to  be  about 
the  same  age.  \\"illiam  Cornwall  married 
Fannie  Bottin,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren, our  subject  being  the  youngest.  After 
his  death  his  widow  married  Edward  Water- 
man, who  canie  to  America  in  1848  and 
died  in  Virginia  about  1858.  She  died  about 
one  year  later,  leaving  six  children,  four  of 
whom  were  taken  and  reared  by  our  subject. 
Thomas  Cornwall  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  country  and  when  old  enough  secured 
work  as  a  chore  boy,  for  which  he  received 
two  pence  a  day.  He  later  found  work  on 
a  farm,  at  which  he  continued  until  coming 
to  America  in  1847.  He  sailed  for  America 
on  the  Queen  of  the  West  and  was  five 
weeks  and  two  days  on  the  ocean,  landing 
in  New  York  in  December,  1847.  Arriving 
there  he  borrowed  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
to  take  him  to  Utica,  from  which  place  he 
walked  to  Waterville,  sixteen  miles,  where 
two  sisters  were  then  living.  The  first  work 
secured  was  in  threshing  grain  with  a  flail, 
for  which  he  received  three  cents  per  bushel 
for  oats  and  five  cents  per  bushel  for  rye. 
He  could  thresh  about  twenty  bushels  of 
oats  per  daj'.  He  well  remembers  the  first 
threshing  machine  that  he  ever  saw  in  New 
York. 

In  1849  he  returned  to  England  and  was 
there  united  in  marriage  with  Eliza  Ann 
Ewings,  born  in  Kent  county,  England,  a 
daughter  of  David  Ewings.  By  this  union 
there  are  six  children,  as  follows:  Thomas, 
now  residing  in  Mt.  Hope,  Kansas;  Byron, 
living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Kane  county; 
William,  a  farmer  of  Harper,  Kansas;  Mar- 
tha, wife  of  Henry  Winter,  of  Sycamore; 
Alonzo,  a  stationarj-  engineer  in  Sjcamore; 
and  Fred,  a  teamster  residing  in  Sycamore. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


529 


Immediately  after  marriage  Mr.  Corn- 
wall returned  with  his  bride  to  the  United 
States,  and  until  1858  was  employed  in  va- 
rious occupations  in  New  York,  and  then 
came  west  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  ami  for 
one  year  was  engaged  as  a  day  laborer.  In 
the  summer  of  1859  he  went  to  California, 
walking  most  of  the  way  in  company  with  a 
party  of  seven  persons.  He  left  Sycamore 
April  12,  and  reached  Honey  Lake  valley 
August  5.  He  first  went  to  work  sawing 
logs  at  forty  dollars  per  month  and  board, 
and  later  was  engaged  in  repairing  a  ditch 
nine  miles  long,  for  which  he  received  three 
dollars  per  day  and  board.  He  also  had  an 
interest  in  several  mines,  but  none  of  them 
proved  proiitable.  For  one  year  he  was 
employed  on  a  salary  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  but  loaning  his  money  to  his 
employer  he  lost  it  all.  Later  he  worked 
for  another  man,  at  fifty  dollars  per  month, 
and  at  the  end  of  three  years  returned  to 
Sycamore  with  six  hundred  dollars. 

Desiring  a  home,  Mr.  Cornwall  pur- 
chased a  small  farm  of  thirty  acres  north  of 
Sycamore,  which  he  retained  four  years. 
Being  unable  to  obtain  any  land  adjoining, 
he  sold  the  same  and  went  to  Campton 
township,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twent\-eight 
acres,  and  there  resided  for  nine  j'ears.  He 
then  purchased  another  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres,  giving  him  a  total  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres,  on  which 
he  resided  until  1885,  when  he  rented  the 
farm  to  his  son  Byron,  and  has  later  sold  to 
him.  On  his  first  place  he  built  two  barns 
and  a  milk  house  and  spent  about  one  thou- 
sand dollars  in  tiling.  He  spent  some  three 
thousand  dollars  in  building  on  the  two 
farms.  For  twelve  years  he  made  butter, 
and  of  such  superior  quality  that  he  always 


obtained  the  highest  prices,  one  winter  re- 
ceiving fifty  cents  per  pound.  He  usually 
shipped  to  St.  Louis,  and  at  one  of  the  fairs 
held  in  that  city  he  took  a  premium  of  fifty 
dollars. 

In  1885  Mr.  Cornwall  came  to  Sycamore 
and  bought  a  residence  on  Maple  street, 
where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  while  re- 
siding in  Campton  township  was  a  school 
director.  As  already  stated,  when  his 
mother  died  he  took  the  children  by  her 
second  marriage  and  reared  them  as  his 
own.  He  also  reared  two  of  his  sister's 
children,  and  has  now  living  with  him  his 
granddaughter  Eva,  his  son  Byron's  oldest 
daughter  by  his  first  wife.  He  takes  no 
great  credit  for  what  he  has  done,  but,  as  he 
says,  "simply  does  his  duty."  He  never 
chewed  or  smoked.  When  seventeen,  a 
large  boy  attempted  to  force  a  chew  of  to- 
bacco in  his  mouth,  and  after  a  long  struggle 
Mr.  Cornwall  got  the  fellow's  arm  in  his 
teeth  and  held  on  until  he  cried  enough. 


ROBERT  WILLIS  is  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  enterprising  farmers  of 
South  Grove  township,  where  he  has  a  farm 
of  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which 
is  well  improved  in  every  respect.  He  is  a 
native  of  Somersetshire,  England,  born  in 
1838  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah 
Willis,  both  natives  of  the  same  shire. 
When  but  two  years  old  his  parents  died 
and  he  therefore  never  knew  the  lo\ing  care 
of  a  father  or  mother.  He  remained  in  his 
native  land  until  he  attained  his  majority, 
when  he  concluded  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the 
New  World.  In  1859  he  set  sail  for  the 
United  States,  and  after  landing  in  New 
York,  came  direct  to  South  Grove  township, 


530 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


De  Kalb  county,  where  he  worked  one  year  on 
a  farm  by  the  month,  after  which  he  rented  a 
farm  and  commenced  farming  on  shares,  at 
which  he  continued  for  eight  years.  He 
then  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  partially  improved  land  at  twenty 
dollars  per  acre.  With  characteristic  energy, 
he  went  to  work  to  improve  the  place  and 
as  his  means  increased  he  purchased  more 
land  until  he  has  now  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  cultiva- 
tion. 

Mr.  Willis  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Maria  Rich,  also  a  native  of  England, 
and  they  now  have  two  children,  Frank  and 
Albert,  both  residing  at  home,  and  assisting 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm. 

In  politics  Mr.  Willis  is  a  Democrat, 
and  notwithstanding  the  excessive  labors  of 
the  farm  he  has  served  as  school  trustee 
and  filled  other  local  official  positions.  He 
is  a  thorough  believer  in  the  free  school 
system  and  has  been  willing  to  do  his  part 
in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  schools. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Church 
of  England,  in  which  body  they  were  reared 
and  in  the  faith  of  which  they  are  steadfast. 
Coming  to  this  country  with  but  little  means, 
but  with  that  determination  to  succeed, 
success  has  crowned  his  efforts  and  he  is 
now  numbered  among  the  wealthy  farmers 
not  only  of  South  Grove  township,  but  of 
the  entire  county  of  De  Ivalb.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
all  who  know  them. 


JOHN  ARNOLD,  a  retired  farmer  living 
in  the  village  of  Leland,  is  the  owner 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land 
in  Victor  township,  De  Ivalb  county.  He  is 
a  native  of  England,  and  is  the  son  of  John 


and  Alice  (Alford)  Arnold,  also  natives  of 
England,  and  the  grandson  of  \\'illiani  and 
Elizabeth  Arnold,  of  the  same  country. 
John  Arnold,  Sr. ,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1 85 1,  and  located  in  New  York,  where  he 
resided  for  two  years,  and  then  came  to 
Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  rented  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  acres,  which  he  cul- 
tivated about  three  years,  and  then  moved 
to  Victor  township,  De  Kalb  county,  where 
he  continued  farming  until  his  death. 

John  Arnold,  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Lincolnshire,  England,  December  11,  1823, 
and  in  his  native  shire  grew  to  manhood, 
and  on  the  3rd  of  October,  1844,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Jane  Palmer,  also 
a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  born  January  29, 
1825.  Immediately  after  his  marriage,  he 
opened  a  butcher  shop  in  Dyke,  England, 
which  he  continued  to  run  until  his  emigra- 
tion to  the  United  States  in  1851,  when  he 
crossed  the  ocean  in  company  with  his  par- 
ents and  with  his  family.  For  three  years 
he  remained  in  New  York  state,  working  at 
anything  which  he  could  find  to  do.  In  the 
fall  of  1854  he  came  to  Illinois  and  located 
in  Kane  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  rented  land,  until  1858.  He  then 
moved  to  Victor  township,  De  Kalb  county, 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which 
he  sold  in  1865;  he  then  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  He  became  quite  a 
successful  farmer,  and  made  many  improve- 
ments upon  the  place.  He  was  a  raiser  of 
full-blooded  Durham  cattle,  Poland-China 
and  Chester-White  hogs,  in  all  of  which  he 
met  with  success. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  have  six  living 
children.  William  has  been  twice  married, 
his  first  union  being  with  Elizabeth  Wood- 
cock, and  after  her  death,  married  Sarah 
Woodcock.      They  reside   in   Victor    town- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


531 


ship,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming.  Jo- 
seph is  single,  and  makes  his  home  with  his 
brother  William,  although  he  is  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  which  he  cultivates.  Henry 
married  Ellen  Nicholson,  by  whom  he  has 
two  children.  They  reside  in  Calhoun 
count)-,  Iowa,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. John  P.  married  Julia  Rowley,  and 
they  reside  in  Calhoun  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  is  also  engaged  in  farming.  Isaac  mar- 
ried Ella  Barnes,  and  they  reside  in  Victor 
township,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming. 
Charles,  a  farmer,  married  Clara  Burnham, 
and  they  also  reside  in  Victor  township. 

In  politics  Mr.  Arnold  was  a  Repub- 
lican until  the  nomination  of  Cleveland  in 
1884.  since  which  time  he  has  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  is  a  well-known  and 
highly  respected  citizen,  and  his  friends  are 
numerous  in  both  De  Kalb  and  La  Salle 
counties. 


ENOCH  DARNELL,  deceased,  was  a 
well-to  do  farmer  in  De  Kalb  county. 
He  was  born  in  Noith  Carolina.  May  12, 
1829.  His  father,  John  Darnell,  and  his 
grandfather,  Benjamin  Darnell,  were  people 
of  prominence  and  respectability  in  their 
day  and  locality.  John  Darnell  removed 
from  North  Carolina  to  Indiana,  in  1832, 
and  there  remained  two  years,  then  removed 
to  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  locating  near  the 
Fo.x  river.  He  remained  there  engaged  in 
farming,  until  1868,  when  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  county,  and  located  in  Afton  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
itr.proved  land.  There  he  remained  until 
his  death  November  3,  1878,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
Kendall    county,    Illinois,    and    received    a 


limited  education  in  its  public  schools.  On 
the  1st  of  January,  1855,  he  was  un'ted  in 
marriage  with  Cynthia  A.  Woods,  a  native 
of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  born 
November  23,  1823,  and  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Catherine  Woods,  who  emigrated 
from  Pennsvlvania  to  I-Cendall  county,  Illi- 
nois, in  1846,  at  which  place  she  met  and 
married  Mr.  Darnell,  and  from  which  place 
she  removed  with  him  to  De  Kalb  county. 
By  this  union  two  children  were  born; 
Newton,  born  December  5,  1858,  grew  to 
manhood,  and  married  Miss  Emma  Mar- 
shall, January  1,  1S8S,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Eliza  Marshall,  of  Charter  Grove, 
Illinois.  She  was  born  in  De-  Kalb  county. 
To  this  happy  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  George,  Arthur,  Nellie  and  Alice. 
Willis,  born  August  13.  1865,  is  yet  single. 
Enoch  Darnell,  like  his  namesake  of  old, 
was  an  exemplary  man.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  church,  and  was 
honorable  in  all  his  ways,  practicing  what 
he  professed,  and  confessing  that  what  he 
believed,  always  adhering  strictly  to  the 
golden  rule.  His  death  occurred  in  1878, 
while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life.  Mrs.  Darnell 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  and  an  estimable  woman 
in  character  and  life.  Her  sons  work  the 
home  farm,  but  slie  still  retains  her  claim 
to  it.  from  which  she  draws  her  interest  an- 
nually. 


PATRICK  LEONARD,  deceased,  was  a 
practical  farmer,  who  resided  on  sec- 
lion  I,  Kingston  township,  where  l.e  owned 
and  operated  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  was  born  in  Oueens  coun- 
ty, Ireland,  in  1S42,  and  was  a  son  of  John 
and  Margaret  Leonard,  both  of  whom  were 


532 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


natives  of  the  same  country.  The  former 
died  in  Ireland,  while  in  the  prime  of  life, 
and  in  1871,  Mrs.  Leonard  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  located  in  Rhode  Island, 
with  some  relatives  who  preceded  her.  Of 
their  family  of  five  children,  three  are  yet 
living',  our  subject  being  second  in  order 
of  birth. 

Patrick  Leonard  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1845,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 
He  located  first  in  Boone  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  a  few  years,  and  then 
came  to  De  Kalb  county,  locating  in  Syca- 
more, where  he  made  himself  useful  as  a 
farm  hand  and  teamster.  He  proved  him- 
self a  faithful  employee  in  every  respect, 
having  the  full  confidence  of  his  employers. 
In  1862,  when  his  adopted  country's  honor 
was  at  stake,  when  so  many  of  America's 
sons  proved  traitors  and  recreants,  he  will- 
ingly offered  himself  as  a  private  soldier 
and  was  enrolled  in  Company  A,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  his  adopted  coun- 
try faithfully  and  well,  until  his  discharge 
at  the  close  of  the  war. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life,  Mr.  Leonard 
located  in  Genoa  township,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  On  the  2nd 
of  December,  i  866,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Jeannette  Strong,  a  native  of 
Genoa,  Illinois,  born  February  i,  1846, 
and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sabrina 
Strong,  both  of  whom  came  to  this  country 
in  an  early  day,  the  latter  in  1838,  and  the 
former  about  1842.  They  were  united  in 
marriage  in  Genoa,  in  1845,  and"there  their 
family  was  reared.  Mr.  Strong  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  born  July  24,  1817,  and  died 
August  30,  1889.  His  wife  was  born- in 
Pennsylvania,  March  30,  1825,  and  died 
March   26,   1886.      To  Mr.  and    Mrs.  Leon- 


ard eleven  children  were  born,  eight  of 
whom  are  yet  living — Henry,  William, 
Alice,  John,  Joseph  P.,  Jeannette,  Charles 
and  Sabrina. 

Shortly  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Leonard 
purchased  a  farra  on  section  i ,  Kingston 
township,  containing  eighty  acres,  forty  of 
which  he  subsequently  sold.  To  the  forty 
which  he  retained,  he  added  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  more,  all  of  which  is  now 
owned  by  his  widow.  Fraternally  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
religiously  a  Roman  Catholic,  politically  a 
Republican,  and  naturally  a  lover  of  free- 
dom, liberty  and  equal  rights,  and  an  en- 
emy to  any  government  which  enslaved 
men  or  held  them  in  the  bonds  of  tyranny. 
He  died  February  27,  18S9,  leaving  a  host 
of  friends  to  lament  his  death. 


ROBERT  R.  OUIGLEY  is  a  farmer  and 
carpenter  residing  on  section  15,  King- 
ston township.  He  was  born  in  Portland, 
Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  August  i, 
1834,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Amanda 
(Brainard)  Ouigley,  both  of  whom  were  also 
nati\es  of  Portland,  New  York.  In  his 
youth,  John  Quigley  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  occupation  he  followed  in  con- 
nection with  farming  during  the  latter  part  of 
his  life.  When  a  young  man  he  was  a 
sailor  on  the  lakes,  and  commanded  vessels 
on  those  waters,  and  was  twice  shipwrecked. 
He  was  in  company  with  those  who  raised 
the  hulls  of  the  Lake  Erie  and  Mayflower, 
vessels  that  were  burned  on  the  lake.  A 
daring  and  courageous  man,  he  won  the 
favor  of  those  who  knew  him.  His  father, 
John  Quigley,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18  12, 
dying  at   the  age  of   one    hundred  and   one 


THE    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


533 


years,  six  months  and  six  days.  John  Quig- 
ley,  Jr.,  and  his  family  came  to  Illinois,  in 
1 86 1,  making  his  home  with  his  son,  Robert 
R.,  who  came  at  the  same  time,  and  located 
in  Kingston  township,  on  section  8,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty-five  acres. 
During  his  residence  there  he  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade  extensively,  his  work  being 
in  demand  all  over  the  neighborhood  where 
he  resided.  He  died  October  17.  1885,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven  \-ears.  His  wife 
died  November  21,  1SS9,  also  aged  seventy- 
seven  years.  They  were  exemplary  Chris- 
tian people,  the  husband  and  father  being 
an  extremely  close  Bible  student,  and  made 
good  use  of  the  knowledge  thus  obtained. 

Robert  R.  Ouigley  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  as  his 
father  was  an  expert  with  plane  and  saw,  he, 
too,  soon  became  proficient  in  the  use  of 
carpenter's  tools,  and  during  the  life  time  of 
his  father  they  worked  together  at  their 
trade.  At  Dunkirk.  New  York,  November 
6,  1853,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Ann  S.  Lucas,  a  native  of  Genesee 
county.  New  York,  born  November  i,  1833, 
and  a  daughter  of  Eli  and  Mary  Lucas.  In 
1S61,  as  already  stated,  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  county,  and  followed  his  trade  in  con- 
nection with  farming,  until  1892,  when  he 
sold  his  farm,  and  removed  to  a  small  place, 
where,  in  the  congenial  companionship  of 
his  wife,  he  lives  in  peaceful  retirement. 
They  are  both  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  worthy  Christian  people.  By 
his  fellow  citizens,  Mr.  Ouigley  has  been 
honored  with  various  offices,  S3rving  as  col- 
lector one  term,  school  director  seventeen 
years,  constable  four  years,  and  road  com- 
missioner nine  years.  He  is  a  man  held  in 
high  esteem  for  his  true  worth  and  excel- 
lent character. 


JAMES  EDMUND  ELLWOOD,  post- 
master of  Sycamore,  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, Otsego  count}-,  New  York,  April  26, 
1 83 1,  and  was  ninth  in  a  family  of  seven 
brothers  and  four  sisters  who  have  been 
prominently  and  intimately  connected  with 
the  commercial  and  social  life  of  Sycamore 
and  De  Kalb  for  many  years.  Truly  broth- 
erl\'  in  sentiment,  as  each  younger  one  was 
ready  to  enter  upon  business  life,  the  older 
ones  always  extended  a  helping  hand  and 
always  stuck  together  in  their  business  en- 
terprises, and  in  fraternal  intercourse  the 
concord  never  being  broken. 

Abraham  Ellwood,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county. 
New  York,  near  Springfield  Hollow,  where 
his  father  left  him  a  large,  well  stocked 
farm.  Being  quite  young  at  the  time  he 
succeeded  to  the  property,  and  being  of  a 
sympathetic  nature,  he  endorsed  heavily  for 
a  friend,  losing  nearly  all  his  possessions,  a 
part  only  being  saved  through  the  influence 
of  a  brother.  With  his  brothers-in-law,  he 
later  secured  a  contract  to  build  a  part  of 
the  New  York  Central  railroad,  and  subse- 
quently contracted  to  widen  and  deepen  a 
section  of  the  Erie  canal.  Both  contracts 
proved  profitable,  and  put  him  on  his  feet 
again.  He  married  Sarah  De  Long,  born 
in  the  Mohawk  \'alley.  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  (Krankheiti 
De  Long,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  Hol- 
land, and  one  of  the  heirs  to  an  old  estate 
in  that  country.  In  1855.  with  his  wife,  he 
came  west  with  his  son,  Alonzo.  who  had 
been  east  buying  goods,  and  liking  the 
country,  he  concluded  to  remain.  Leaving 
his  wife,  he  returned  to  his  old  home,  sold 
his  property,  and  coming  to  Sycamore,  they 
here  spent  their  last  days,  he  dying  August 
24,  1872,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 


534 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


nine  months  and  seventeen  days.  His  wife 
survived  him,  dying;  January  17,  1879,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  ten  months 
and  twenty-six  days. 

When  our  subject  was  a  small  boy  the 
family  moved  to  Montgomery  county,  New 
York,  and  in  1843  to  Ilion,  Herkimer  coun- 
ty, in  ihe  same  state,  where  our  subject  re- 
sided two  years.  He  then  spent  three 
years  with  a  sister  at  Cherry  Valley,  New 
York,  and  two  years  with  a  brother,  a  broom 
manufacturer,  at  Schenectady,  New  York. 
He  attended  schools  in  the  various  places 
where  he  lived  during  his  school  age.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  took  a  five  years  lease 
on  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  land  in 
Mohawk  Flats  for  the  purpose  of  cultivating 
broom  corn.  He  sold  his  lease  after  one 
year  and  took  a  position  with  a  brother  in  a 
grocery  store  at  Frankford  Lock,  where  he 
remained  one  year. 

At  the  request  of  his  brother,  Reuben, 
who  had  previously  been  in  Sycamore,  Mr. 
Ellwood  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  arriving 
here  April  7,  1855.  With  his  brother,  Iveu- 
ben,  they  leased  and  planted  one  thousand 
acres  in  broom  corn,  but,  it  being  a  )-ear  of 
great  prostration  in  business,  the  crop,  which 
was  sold  in  Philadelphia,  was  not  so  re- 
munerative as  anticipated.  His  brother 
then  returned  to  New  York,  and  the  next 
year  he  alone  raised  about  five  hundred  acres 
of  broom  corn,  and  then  sold  the  buildings, 
machinery,  etc.,  and  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Chauncey,  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  at  Sycamore.  Three 
months  later  General  Dustin  came  to  Syca- 
more to  visit  Judge  James,  and  feeling  sat- 
isfied with  the  place,  purchased  Chauncey 's 
interest  in  the  store,  and  the  firm  of  Ellwood 
&  Dustin  continued  the  business  for  three 
years,  when  General  Dustin  retired,  that  he 


might  enter  the  service  of  his  country  dur- 
ing the  Rebellion,  and  our  subject  continued 
the  business  alone  for  one  year,  when  Charles 
D.  Bennett  became  a  partner.  Owing  to 
the  gradual  and  regular  increase  of  values 
during  the  war,  the  business  was  very  pros- 
perous. In  three  years  Mr.  Ellwood  bought 
his  partner's  interest,  and  for  seventeen 
years  ran  the  business  alone  and  was  very 
successful.  About  this  time,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  Alonzo,  they  erected  a  part 
of  Central  block  on  State  street,  where  they 
went  into  business  together  and  continued 
three  years.  Mr.  Ellwood  then  sold  to 
George  M.  Sivwright  and  invested  in  the 
stock  of  the  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, from  which  he  later  withdrew.  Since 
that  time  he  has  operated  in  western  lands, 
and  has  now  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  well  im])ro\'ed  and  stocked, 
in  Iowa. 

In  1851  Mr.  Ellwood  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Lodeska  H.  Fellows,  a  na- 
tive of  Miiiden\'ille,  Herkimer  county.  New 
York,  and  a  daughter  of  Newton  and  Sarah 
(Stoddard)  F"ellows.  By  this  union  si.\ 
children  were  born,  four  of  whom  died  in 
infancy  or  early  childhood.  The  livingare: 
Sarah  A.  and  James  B.  The  former  mar- 
ried B.  W.  Paine,  and  they  have  one  son, 
James  Claude  Paine,  a  practicing  physician 
and  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department 
of  the  Northwestern  University,  Chicago. 
He  received  his  diploma  in  June,  1898. 
Before  his  graduation  he  had  considerable 
experience  in  the  hospitals  of  Chicago  and 
charity  practice  in  the  city.  He  is  now  lo- 
cated in  Peoria,  Illinois.  The  son,  James 
B.,  is  holding  an  important  position  in  the 
office  of  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  at 
Chicago.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Syca- 
more High  School,  and  also   took   a   course 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


535 


in  the  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville.  He 
has  traveled  extensively  over  the  United 
States,  in  the  interest  of  the  Diamond 
Match  Company,  and  has  spent  two  years 
in  South  America. 

In  politics  Mr.  Elhvood  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican and  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  political  affairs,  but  has  persistently 
refused  office,  city,  county  or  state.  For 
the  last  few  years,  having  little  to  employ 
his  time,  and  being  accustomed  to  a  life  of 
business  activitj",  he  applied  for  the  posi- 
tion of  postmaster  at  Sycamore,  received 
the  appointment  and  took  charge  of  the 
office  October  i,  1898.  For  forty  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, and  although  he  keeps  his  dues  paid, 
he  seldom  attends  the  meetings  of  the 
lodge.  His  life  has  been  an  active  one, 
and  he  is  a  thorough  representative  of  the 
best  interests  of  his  adopted  city  and 
county. 


A  GATES  WHITE,  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Sandwich,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Ahuira, 
New  York,  March  2,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of 
Seth  M.  and  Sarah  (Ray)  White.  The  fa- 
ther, who  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith  by 
occupation,  first  came  west  in  1854,  re- 
mained two  years,  then  returned  to  his 
native  state,  and  in  1861  again  came  west, 
locating  at  Sandwich,  where  his  death 
occurred  March  20,  1891.  He  was  born 
February  3,  1810.  His  wife,  born  August 
12,  18 1 5,  in  Orange  county.  New  York, 
died  August  31,  1892,  in  Sandwich,  Illinois. 
They  were  married  August  22,  1833,  in  the 
town  of  Southport,  Chemung  county,  New 
York.  They  were  originally  members  of 
the  old-school  Presbyterian  church,  but  on 
coming  to  Sandwich  became  identified  with 


the  Congregational  church,   in  which  faith 
they  died. 

Seth  M.  White  was  the  son  of  Dr. 
Amos  Gates  White,  a  celebrated  physician 
of  Chemung  county,  New  York,  to  which 
county  he  removed  from  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts.  The  family  traces  their  an- 
cestry back  to  the  seventeenth  century, 
when  one  of  the  name  came  to  America  in 
the  Mayflower.  Dr.  Amos  G.  White  was 
born  in  Richmond,  Berkshire  count}-,  Mass- 
achusetts, December  17,  1768,  and  died 
February  5,  1833,  and  was  buried  at  Elmira, 
New  York.  His  wife  was  Abigail  Marvin, 
and  they  were  tnarried  at  Goshen,  New 
York,  February  2,  1798.  She  was  a  sister 
of  General  Marvin,  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
His  mother  was  a  sister  of  General  Gates, 
also  a  noted  officer  in  the  Revolution.  Gen- 
eral Seth  Marvin,  the  father  of  Abigail,  was 
a  native  of  Orange  county,  New  York,  where 
his  daughter  was  also  born,  April  23,  1778. 
She  died  at  Seeley  Creek,  New  York,  Jul}' 
30,  1S16,  and  was  buried  at  Elmira,  New 
York.  The  children  of  Dr.  \\'hite  were  as 
follows:  (i)  Emily  A.,  born  July  31,  1799, 
married  Harvey  Jones,  of  Elmira,  New 
York.  Their  children  were  \\'illiam,  de- 
ceased; Austin,  deceased;  Frank,  Edward 
and  Elliott.  The  family  moved  to  Marion, 
Iowa,  in  the  '503,  and  both  parents  are  now 
deceased.  (2)  Elvira  Green,  born  Novem- 
ber 24,  1 80 1,  married  Colonel  Samuel  Ba- 
ker, of  Elmira,  New  York,  and  the  latter 
moved  to  Sun  Prairie,  near  Madison,  Wis- 
consin, and  both  are  now  deceased.  Their 
family  now  reside  in  W'isconsin  and  Ne- 
braska. (3)  Marcus  Aurelius,  born  Decem- 
ber 28,  1803,  died  in  the  spring  of  1884. 
He  married  Betsy  McConnell,  of  Chemung 
county.  New  York,  but  she  is  now  deceased. 
Their  cliildren  were  Amos,  deceased;  Einil}' 


536 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  Mary  Ann.  (4)  Orlina  Rebecca,  born 
March  1 1,  1806,  married  Hunt  M.  Pomeroy. 
She  died  in  the  early  '30s.  Her  only  child 
was  Marcus  Mills  Pomeroy,  known  the 
world  over  as  "Brick  Pomeroy."  (5)  Di- 
ana Hyde,  born  March  26,  1808,  died  un- 
married. (6)  Seth  Marvin,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  born  February  3,  18 10.  (7) 
Alanson  Austin,  born  October  24,  181 1, 
died  November  12,  1877,  at  the  residence 
of  our  subject.  (8)  Sally  Closson,  born 
October  21,  1813,  married  Alpheus  A.  San- 
derson. They  moved  to  Red  Wing,  Minne- 
sota, in  the  early  '50s  and  both  died  there. 
Their  children  were  Triphena,  Mary, 
Charles,  Seth,  Loretta,  Judge  A.  E.,  Hel- 
en, Marcus  and  Frank.  (9)  William  Wells, 
born  July  i,  1816,  died  November  12,  of 
the  same  year. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
a  farm  at  Southport,  New  York.  He  was 
the  only  child  of  his  parents  that  lived  to 
maturity.  In  the  country  schools  he  ob- 
tained his  education,  and  when  quite  j'oung 
commenced  railroading  with  the  Williams- 
port  &  Almira  Railway,  serving  one  year  as 
fireman.  In  1858  he  came  west  and  located 
in  Sandwich,  where  he  learned  the  machin- 
ist trade,  but  engaged  in  farming  and  rail- 
roading for  a  time.  Returningto  New  York 
he  remained  a  short  time,  and  in  1861  again 
came  west  and  went  into  the  machine  shops 
at  Sandwich  and  remained  one  year,  finish- 
ing his  trade.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  as  a 
private,  served  three  years,  and  was  dis- 
charged as  a  sergeant.  He  started  from 
Louisville,  marching  through  Kentucky, 
Tennessee  and  Alabama,  joining  Sherman 
at  Murfreesboro,  in  the  spring  of  1863.  He 
took  part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  had 


charge  of  a  foraging  party  a  part  of  the  time. 
He  was  in  nineteen  hard-fought  battles,  and 
never  missed  but  one  fight  in  which  his 
regiment  took  part,  which  was  at  Benton- 
ville.  North  Carolina.  He  was  with  Sher- 
man on  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  was  in  the 
grand  review  at  Washington,  from  which 
place  he  was  sent  to  Chicago,  and  there 
mustered  out. 

The  war  closing,  Mr.  White  went  to  La 
Crosse,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Brick  Pomeroy  for  a  time.  He  then 
returned  to  Sandwich,  and  began  grading, 
being  foreman  of  a  gang  on  the  Fox  River 
Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  Chicago,  I^ur- 
lington  &  Ouincy  system.  He  was  ne.xt  in 
charge  of  track  laying,  then  ran  a  train  as 
conductor  for  several  years.  He  has  served 
in  all  capacities,  running  an  engine,  con- 
ductor, train  master  and  superintendent  of 
the  construction  department  of  the  building 
of  the  Te.xas  cS:  Pacific  Railroad.  While  in 
the  latter  business  he  made  his  home  at 
Dallas,  Texas,  where  ho  built  a  street  car 
line  from  the  river  to  the  Texas  Central 
depot. 

Returning  from  Texas  in  about  1872,  he 
went  to  Indiana,  in  charge  of  grading  a  rail- 
road, but  was  there  only  six  months.  He 
then  came  back  to  Sandwich,  but  soon  after- 
ward went  to  Kansas,  as  a  conductor  on  the 
Sante  Fe  Railroad,  making  his  home  first  at 
Florence,  and  later  at  Emporia.  While  re- 
siding in  the  latter  city,  he  built  a  street  car 
line.  Leaving  the  Sante  Fe  after  several 
years  service,  he  moved  to  Fort  Scott,  Kan- 
sas, and  was  conductor  on  the  Missouri  Pa- 
cific Railway.  Later  he  was  train  master 
on  the  same  road,  during  the  construction 
of  a  part  of  its  system.  In  1887  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  and  was  conductor  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  Railroad  for 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


537 


nearly  two  years,  running  from  Aurora  to 
Savannah.  Returning  to  Sandwich  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Sandwich  Enter- 
prise Coxnpan)',  serving  that  company  for 
six  years. 

Mr.  White  was  united  in  marriage  April 
19,  1867,  with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Dean,  daugh- 
ter of  Nelson  A.  Dean,  then  residing  near 
Sandwich.  Her  death  occurred  some  three 
years  later.  Mr.  White  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Mary  B. 
Sanders,  «<v  Yourt,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Yourt.  Religiously  she  is  a  membe*  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  which  she  takes  an 
active  part. 

Fraternally  Mr.  White  is  a  Mason  and 
has  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias. Socially  he  is  an  honorary  member 
of  the  Highland  Association  of  Chicago,  of 
which  he  was  at  one  time  president.  This 
is  an  organization  of  Saxon  and  Celtic 
Unions.  Politically  Mr.  White  is  a  Repub- 
lican. In  1S95,  he  was  elected  mayor  of 
Sandwich,  receiving  a  good  majority.  In 
1897  he  was  re-elected  without  opposition. 
During  the  three  years  of  his  incumbency, 
it  is  said  that  he  has  made  more  improve- 
ments than  in  twent\'  years  preceding. 
New  walks  have  been  constructed,  streets 
graded,  electric  lights  introduced,  and  an 
opera  house  erected  in  that  time.  Progress- 
ive in  all   things  he  makes  a  No.  i  official. 


HON.  REUBEN  ELL  WOOD,  deceased, 
was  for  many  years  the  most  noted 
citizen  of  De  Kalb  county.  He  was  born 
in  Minden,  Montgomery  county.  New  '^'ork, 
February  17,  1821,  and  was  the  son  of  Ab- 
raham and  Sarah  (DeLong)  EUwood.  His 
early  life  was  spent  in  his  nativ,e  state,  and 


his  primary  education  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools,  but  it  was  in  the  school 
of  experience  that  his  education  was  prin- 
cipalh"  received.  He  was  a  very  vigorous 
and  energetic  youth,  and  desired  to  be  some- 
thing more  than  a  common  laborer  during 
life,  and  to  that  end  he  struck  out  for  the 
great  west  when  only  sixteen  years  old.  In 
1837  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county  and  en- 
tered a  claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixt}'  acres 
of  land  near  Sycamore,  and  for  four  years 
worked  for  various  farmers  in  the  vicinity 
until  he  could  prove  up  on  his  claim.  He 
then  returned  to  his  old  home  in  New  York, 
where,  after  resting  for  a  short  time,  he  be- 
came a  student  in  Cherry  \'alle3'  Seminary 
for  about  six   months. 

Resolving  upon  a  business  career,  Mr. 
Ellwood  went  to  Glenville,  Schenectady 
county.  New  York,  and  engaged  in  raising 
broom  corn  and  in  the  manufacture  of 
brooms,  continuing  in  that  line  of  business 
for  about  eight  years.  In  1857  he  again 
came  to  De  Kalb  county  and  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother,  Alonzo,  in  the  gen- 
eral hardware  trade  at  Sycamore,  and  at 
the  same  time  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  In  1870  he  commenced  the  man- 
ufacture of  agricultural  implements  at  Syca- 
more, and  in  1875  commenced  the  erection 
of  the  large  buildings  which  were  afterward 
used  by  the  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing 
Company,  in  which  he  invested  about  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  To  the  building  up  of 
that  manufactory  he  gave  his  best  energies, 
and  it  became  one  of  Sycamore's  most  noted 
institutions.  To  other  enterprises  he  gave 
of  his  time  and  means,  believing  in  the  ben- 
eficial effect  of    manufacturing  institutions. 

While  yet  residing  in  his  native  state 
Mr.  Ellwood  became  interested  in  political 
affairs,  and  was   elected    a   member   of   the 


538 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


legislature  of  New  York  in  1851.  On  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  es- 
poused its  principles  and  was  among  his 
most  earnest  champions  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  On  coming  to  De  Kalb 
county  his  merits  as  a  leader  were  soon 
recognized,  and  he  became  the  first  mayor 
of  the  city  after  its  incorporation.  In  1866 
he  was  appointed  United  States  assessor  of 
internal  revenue,  and  filled  the  position 
until  it  was  abolished  by  law.  In  1868  was 
the  choice  of  the  Republicans  of  De  Kalb 
county  for  representative  in  congress.  In 
1882  he  was  nominated  for  congress  and 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  re-elected 
in  1884,  serving  until  his  death  in  July, 
1885.  He  made  a  very  efficient  member, 
and  his  death  was  the  nation's  loss. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  married  August  8, 
1849,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Vedder,  a  native  of 
Schenectady  county,  New  York,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  six  children — Abram, 
Albert,  Frank,  Katie,  Jennie  and  Alida. 


LERNED  E.  GLEASON,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  tilling  the  soil  and  leading  the 
quiet  and  peaceful  life  of  a  farmer  on  sec- 
tion 5,  Ivingston  township,  was  born  in 
Girard,  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  E.  L.  and 
Polly  Ann  (Spinkj  Gleason,  the  former  born 
in  Franklin  county,  Massachusetts,  April  7, 
1806,  and  the  latter  in  \'ermont,  April  5, 
18  I  5. 

E.  L.  Gleason  was  a  man  of  rare  tal- 
ents, well  qualified  to  fill  positions  of  trust 
and  honor.  Being  po3se3sed  of  a  good  edu- 
cation, for  a  number  of  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school.  In  1840  he  de- 
cided to  come  west  and  located  in  Boone 
county,  Illinois,  where   he  resided  until  his 


death,  which  occurred  March  i,  1887,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one  years.  He 
was  a  good,  practical  farmer  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  finely  cultivated  land.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
served  his  township  in  the  capacity  of  town- 
ship trustee  for  a  period  of  nine  years  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  ail  concerned.  E. 
L.  Gleason  and  Polly  Ann  Spink  were 
united  in  marriage  June  2,  1833,  and  to 
them  were  born  six  children,  four  of  whom 
yet  survive:  Amos  H.,  Mary,  Ellen  and 
Lerned  E.  Amos  H.  is  a  graduate  of  Hills- 
dale College,  where  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  for  a  life  work,  and  in  1874  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar. 

Lerned  E.  Gleason,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Boone  county,  Illinois. 
He  always  resided  at  home  and  confined 
himself  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  when 
age  began  to  tell  on  his  father  he  took 
charge  of  the  home  place.  Mr.  Gleason  re- 
moved from  Boone  to  De  Kalb  county  in 
1867,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
highly  cultivated  land.  He  pursues  no 
special  line,  but  engages  in  general  farming. 
Of  good  business  qualifications  and  practical 
farming  ideas,  he  has  made  a  success  at  the 
calling  in  which  so  many  fail. 

On  January  7,  1876,  Mr.  Gleason  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  H.  Crit- 
tenden, a  daughter  of  P.  S.  and  Maria  L. 
Crittenden.  To  this  union  came  one  daugh- 
ter, Katie  L.,  born  November  8,  1S79,  and 
whose  death  occurred  August  3,  1881.  Mrs. 
Gleason  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Illinois, 
September  29,  1847,  and  there  received  her 
education.  Her  parents  were  pioneers  of 
Boone  county,  removing  from  the  east  in 
February,   1835,  a"<J  coming  direct    to  Illi- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


539 


nois.  P.  S.  Crittenden  taught  school  at 
that  time  and  was  also  an  instructor  in  vocal 
music.  Religiously  he  and  his  wife  were 
both  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  in 
which  body  he  served  as  deacon  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
pillars  of  the  church.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican  and  held  several  township 
offices  with  credit.  He  died  on  the  51st  of 
August,  1S73,  preceded  three  years  by  his 
wife,  whose  demise  occurred  April  14,  1870. 
Their  family  numbered  nine,  of  whom  five 
are  yet  living:  Elmina,  Rosalthe,  Esther. 
Julia  and  Isaac.  The  latter  is  a  lawyer  of 
distinction  and  a  graduate  of  Hillsdale  Col- 
lege. 

Politically  our  subject  is  a  Republican 
and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  of 
that  party.  He  has  been  elected  to  a  num- 
ber of  local  offices,  fulfilling  the  trust  in  a 
highly  satisfactory  manner,  among  which  is 
that  01  school  board  treasurer  of  the  town- 
ship for  thirteen  years,  constable  for  eight 
years,  justice  of  the  peace  si.\teen  years, 
school  trustee  si.v  years,  been  pathmaster 
twenty  years,  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has 
been  serving  efficiently  as  the  postmaster  of 
Colvin  Park.  In  these  various  offices,  with 
their  cares  and  petty  annoyances,  he  has  ac- 
quitted himself  most  creditably,  discharging 
every  duty  in  his  usual  faithful  manner. 


w 


ILLIA.M  A.  DENNIS  is  engaged  in 
the  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance 
business  in  Sandwich,  Illinois,  and  is  also 
a  justice  of  the  peace,  a  position  which  he 
has  held  for  sixteen  years.  He  is  a  native 
of  De  Kalb  county,  born  on  a  farm  in 
Somonauk  township,  September  26,  1S52, 
and  is  the  son  of  Major  and  Mary  A.  (Har- 
mon) Dennis,  the  former  a  native  of  Mas- 

27 


sachusctts  and  the  latter  of  North  Carolina. 
By  occupation.  Major  Dennis  was  a  farmer, 
which  vocation  he  followed  during  his  entire 
life.  In  1834  he  came  from  his  native  state 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  on  Somonauk  Creek, 
Somonauk  township,  where  he  took  up  a 
tract  of  government  land,  which  is  now 
owned  by  our  subject.  That  land  he  im- 
proved, and  there  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  16,  1856.  His 
marriage  with  Mary  A.  Harmon  was  cele- 
brated February  10,  1843.  She  was  born 
March  28,  1817,  and  died  June  25,  1897. 
In  1834,  she  accompanied  her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Amos  Harmon,  to  De  Kalb  countj-, 
Illinois.  Her  parents  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  Somonauk  township,  locating 
here  about  the  time  of  the  Blackhawk  war. 
.At  that  time  the  country  was  in  its  prim- 
itive state,  and  there  was  no  grist  mill  for 
many  miles.  In  order  to  obtain  flour  and 
meal,  they  would  burn  a  hollow  in  a  log  or 
block  of  wood,  into  which  the  grain  was 
put,  and  converted  into  flour  by  the  use  of 
an  iron  wedge  for  a  pestle.  Wild  animals 
and  Indians  were  always  near  them,  the  old 
Indian  Chief,  Shabbona,  known  in  history 
as  the  white  settlers'  friend,  being  a  frequent 
visitor  to  their  home.  If  Indians  chanced 
to  visit  the  house  at  mealtime,  they  would 
simply  say  "eat,"  "eat,  "  and  help  them- 
selves. But  always  on  the  following  day, 
some  Indian  would  bring  a  mess  of  fish  in 
payment,  and  for  the  purpose  of  trading  for 
salt  and  other  commodities.  .\s  Mrs.  Den- 
nis was  conversant  with  the  Pottawattomie 
language,  this  intercourse  was  not  difficult. 
Mr.  Dennis  was  a  lifelong  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  early 
days  was  very  active  in  church.  She  was 
the  mother  of  four  children  as  follows: 
Waity    0.,    wife    of  J.    E.    Baker,   general 


S40 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


agent  of  the  New  York  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Company,  by  whom  she  has  two  chil- 
dren, Mattie  and  Leroy.  Shepard,  who 
married  Myra  \\'allace,  by  whom  he  had 
one  son,  Edward,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  years,  leaving  his  wife  and  son,  who  are 
still  living.  Rebecca,  widow  of  C.  S.  Lewis, 
of  Aurora.  She  has  one  daughter,  Estella, 
principal  in  the  shorthand  department  of 
the  Palmer  shorthand  school.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  completes  the  family. 

William  A.  Dennis  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  farm  in  Somonauk  township,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
The  old  homestead  of  his  father  he  now 
owns,  having  purchased  the  interest  of  the 
other  heirs.  The  farm  consists  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  acres,  well  improved 
with  orchard,  good  dwelling  and  various 
outbuildings.  On  the  farm  he  resided  until 
March,  i8g8,  when  he  rented  the  place  and 
moved  to  Sandwich,  where  he  is  now  giving 
special  attention  to  his  loan  and  real  estate 
business.  He  is  also  agent  for  some  of  the 
best  insurance  companies  in  the  country,  in- 
cluding the  Niagara  and  Home  of  New  York. 
He  has  built  up  quite  an  extensive  business, 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  men 
in  a  remarkable  degree.  For  the  past  two 
years  he  has  been  a  notary  public. 

Mr.  Dennis  was  married  March  29,  1882, 
at  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel,  Chicago,  to  Miss 
Maggie  M.  Wallace,  a  native  of  Jefferson 
county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Ham- 
ilton and  Mary  Ann  Wallace,  of  Scotch  ex- 
traction. By  this  union  six  children  have 
been  born — Millie  M.,  Carrie  H.,  Minnie  E., 
Cora,  Blanche  and  Estella. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dennis  is  an  ardent  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  The  fam- 
ily are  attendants  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 


pal church.  He  is  a  good  lively  business 
man,  enterprising  in  all  things,  and  believes 
in  keeping  abreast  of   the  times. 


RICHARD  L.  DIVINE,  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  most  popular  attorneys  that 
ever  practiced  at  the  De  Kalb  county  bar. 
He  was  born  in  Fallsburg,  Sullivan  county. 
New  "S'ork,  September  27,  1832,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  ten  children  born  to  James 
and  Mehitable  (Hall)  Divine.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  the  same  town  and  county, 
to  which  place  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject moved  in  1794.  James  Divine  became 
a  very  prominent  man  in  Sullivan  county 
and  filled  various  oflices  of  honor  and  trust. 

In  his  native  county  our  subject  spent 
his  boyhood  and  youth,  and  in  the  common 
schools  received  his  primary  education, 
afterwards  attending  a  select  school  taught 
by  Henry  R.  Lowe  at  Fallsburg,  after  which 
he  spent  eight  years  in  teaching  in  his  native 
county,  in  the  meantime  studying  law  with 
George  W".  Lord,  of  Monticello,  New  York. 
In  1857  he  was  elected  school  commissioner 
of  Sullivan  county,  but  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  came  west  to  Michigan  and  engaged  in 
teaching  at  Allegan.  In  the  spring  of  1858 
he  came  to  Sycamore  and  entered  the  office 
of  Hon.  E.  L.  Mayo,  but  in  the  winter  fol- 
lowing taught  a  term  of  school  in  Cortland 
township,  and  in  March,  i860,  was  admitted 
to  practice.  Forming  a  partnership  with 
Mr.  Mayo  he  rapidly  rose  to  prominence  as 
a  counsellor  and  advocate. 

Mr.  Divine  was  married  at  Sycamore, 
August  1 1,  1862,  to  Miss  Susan  S.  Smith,  a 
native  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vermont,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  M.  and  Martha  (Lowell) 
Smith.  By  this  union  the  following  named 
children  were  born:      Henry,  Mary  Beatrice, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


541 


Richard  L. ,  Gertrude  A.,  James  Joseph  and 
Charles  A. 

Politically  Mr.  Divine  was  a  Republican, 
and  in  1872  was  elected  presidential  elector, 
and  in  1875  was  elected  mayor  of  Sycamore. 
In  1867,  in  partnership  with  Moses  Dean 
and  Daniel  Pierce,  he  embarked  in  the  bank- 
ing business,  which  relation  was  continued 
four  years,  when  he  withdrew  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  C.  O.  Boynton,  and  under 
the  firm  name  of  Divine  &  Boynton  again 
engaged  in  the  banking  business,  in  which 
he  continued  until  failing  health  necessitated 
his  retirement.  His  death  occurred  August 
22,  1882,  and  his  death  left  a  void  in  the 
community  hard  to  fill.  In  social  life  he 
was  the  rarest  of  companions.  No  man  had 
more  warmer  or  truer  friends. 


NJ.  HILL. — No  foreign  element  has  be- 
come a  more  important  part  in  our 
American  citizenship  than  that  furnished 
by  Norwa} .  The  emigrants  from  that  land 
have  brought  with  them  to  the  New  World 
the  stabilit}',  enterprise  and  perseverance 
characteristic  of  their  people,  and  have 
fused  these  qualities  with  the  progressive- 
ness  and  indomitable  spirit  of  the  west. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing a  retired  life  in  the  village  of  Leland, 
was  for  years  one  of  the  active  and  enter- 
prising farmers  of  \'ictor  township  who 
came  to  De  Kalb  county  in  1861.  He  is  a 
native  of  Norway,  and  is  a  son  of  Jens  and 
Martha  Hills,  both  of  whom  were  also  na- 
tives of  Norway  and  came  to  this  country 
in  1859,  locating  in  De  Kalb  county,  mak- 
ing their  home  with  their  sons.  Our  sub- 
ject, however,  preceded  them  to  this  coun- 
try, coming  in  1856,  first  locating  in  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 


farming,  working  the  land  on  shares.  He 
continued  to  be  thus  occupied  until  1861, 
when  he  purchased  seventy-five  acres  of 
land  in  \'ictor  township,  to  which  he  re- 
moved and  began  its  cultivation.  Later 
he  added  fifty  acres  and  there  resided  until 
his  removal  to  the  village  of  Leland  in  1891. 

Mr.  Hill  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Mary 
Olson,  a  native  of  Norway,  who  also  came 
to  this  country-  in  1836,  and  a  daughter  of 
Ole  and  Milin  Olson,  both  natives  of  Nor- 
wa}', but  are  now  deceased.  By  this  union 
were  four  children,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  John  grew  to  manhood,  married 
-Annie  Tobis  and  lives  in  Paw  Paw  township, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  farming.  Martha 
married  Martin  Olson  and  they  reside  in 
Leland,  Illinois.  Ole  is  married  and  lives 
in  \'ictor  township  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming. 

After  moving  to  his  farm,  Mr.  Hill  made 
many  improvements  in  the  place,  planting 
an  orchard  and  setting  out  ornamental  trees, 
tiling  the  land,  and  the  erection  of  a  sub- 
stantial residence  and  good  barns.  Coming 
to  this  country  with  but  limited  means  he 
has  attained  success  in  his  chosen  calling, 
and  by  his  industry  and  thrifty  habits  is 
now  enabled  to  live  a  retired  life,  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  former  toil.  He  and  his  wife 
are  earnest  and  consistent  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church  in  which  faith  the}'  were 
reared.  They  are  well  respected  people 
and  have  many  friends. 


FRANK  D.  LOW.MAN,  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Sandwich  Free  Press, 
Sandwich,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Somonauk, 
De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  March  22,  1866, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Melissa  (Davis) 
Lowman,  the  former  a   native  of  Pennsvl- 


S42 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


vania  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  John 
Lowman  was  a  tinner  b\'  trade,  having 
served  his  apprenticeship  at  Harrisburg  and 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born 
in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  December  4, 
1826.  His  father,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  died  when  he  was  but  nine  years  of 
age,  and  he  was  then  thrown  on  his  own 
resources.  In  1S55  he  came  west,  locating 
first  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
some  five  years  and  then  mo\ed  to  Sonio- 
nauk,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
October  10,  1897.  He  married  Melissa 
Davis  at  Little  Rock,  Kendall  coimty,  April 
26,  1865.  His  widow  is  yet  living,  an  hon- 
ored resident  of  Sandwich.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church.  Her 
parents,  Joshua  and  Mahala  Davis,  are  both 
still  living  at  Somonauk,  aged  respectively 
eighty-six  and  eighty-two  years.  They 
came  to  Illinois  in  the  '50s,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  farming,  but  is  now  living  a  re- 
tired life.  To  John  and  Melissa  Lowman 
four  children  were  born,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject is  the  eldest.  The  others  are  Clara, 
wife  of  A.  F.  Kestermeier,  of  South  Chi- 
cago, where  he  is  engaged  in  running  a  de- 
partment store.  Katherine  is  the  wife  of 
W.  M.  Hay,  a  farmer  in  De  Kalb  county. 
John  Earl  resides  at  home. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated 
in  the  Somonauk  High  School,  after  which 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  Somonauk 
Reveille  to  learn  the  printing  trade,  and 
there  continued  for  four  years.  He  then 
worked  in  printing  offices  in  Sandwich  for 
a  time  and  later  was  editor  of  the  Piano 
News  for  three  years.  He  bought  the  Free 
Press  of  Sandwich  February  14,  1898,  and 
has  since  been  its  editor  and  proprietor. 
The  Free  Press  is  one  of  the  best  local 
papers  in  northern  Illinois  and  has  gained  a 


large  circulation  and  is  fast  becoming  a 
popular  and  model  paper.  It  is  published 
weekly  and  presents  a  neat  and  attractive 
appearance.  It  is  printed  on  a  modern 
power  press  and  the  office  from  which  it  is 
issued  is  well  equipped  for  job  printing  of 
every  kind. 

Fraternal!}'  Mr.  Lowman  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  and  politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  taking  great  interest  in  political 
affairs.  He  is  a  man  of  good  business  qual- 
ifications and  has  a  practical  knowledge  of 
every  detail  of  his  business.  A  man  of  fine 
physique,  of  a  genial  and  generous  nature, 
patriotic  and  public  spirited. 


R 


EV.  C.ILBERT  II.  ROBERTSON,  D. 
I).,  of  Sandwich,  Illinois,  is  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  men  residing  in  I)e  Kalb 
county.  He  was  born  in  Washington  coun- 
ty. New  York,  November  28,  1831,  and  is 
the  son  of  Archibald  and  Anna  Robinson) 
Robertson,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  the  latter  of  Scotland,  but  who 
came  to  this  country  with  her  parents, 
when  but  six  years  of  age.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  William  Robertson,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  but  of  Scotch  descent. 
He  came  to  America  about  1770.  His  wife 
was  a  Miss  Livingston,  and  both  families 
were  quite  prominent  in  the  early  history  of 
Washington  coimty.  New  York. 

Archibald  Robertson  was  a  farmer,  which 
occupation  he  followed  his  entire  life.  He 
never  held  or  aspired  to  office,  but  gave  his 
best  endeavors  to  the  farm  and  farming  in- 
terests. He  was  reared  in  the  Scotch  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  was  a  life-long  mem- 
ber of  the  same.  His  family  were  brought 
up  on  the  shorter  catechism,  as  the  epitome 


THE    BIOGIL\PHICAL    RECORD. 


543 


of  Christian  doctrine.  He  died  in  1850,  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  wife,  who 
was  also  a  lie-long  member  o'  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  church,  died  in  August,  1849, 
when  about  sixty  \ears  of  age.  Our  sub- 
ject is  the  youngest  of  their  ten  children. 
Of  these  five  are  yet  living:  Thomas,  who 
now  resides  in  Chicago,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-si.x  years:  Captain  Duncan,  who  re- 
sides on  the  home  farm;  Jeannette,  widow 
of  Edward  Law,  resides  in  Missouri;  Kate, 
widow  of  Alexander  Lourie,  resides  in  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa.  The  deceased  are  ^^"iiliam, 
Archibald,  Mary.  .Ann  E.  and  John. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  farm,  and  after  receiving  his  primary 
education  in  the  public  schools,  entered 
Union  College,  Schenectad\-,  New  York, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1849.  He 
later  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  .Associate  Presbyterian  church  at  Can- 
onsburg,  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1855.  Leaving  the  seminary, 
he  went  out  as  a  missionary  through  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1858,  the 
Associate  and  the  Associate  Reform  Presby- 
terian churches  having  united  a  few  days 
previously,  he  was  ordained,  being  the  first 
minister  ordained  in  the  United  Presby- 
terian church.  He  then  filled  the  pulpi- 
of  the  Hebron  Presbyterian  church,  in  Heb- 
ron, Washington  county,  New  York,  for 
two  years.  In  the  spring  of  i860,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  Park  Presbyterian 
church,  in  Troy,  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained nearly  five  years,  resigning  because 
of  failing  health  from  disease  incurred  while 
serving  the  Christian  commission  during  the 
famous  battles  of  the  wilderness  and  Spot- 
sylvania. In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  came 
to  Sandwich,  Illinois,  arriving  here  the  day 
before  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated. 


The  president  was  assassinated  Friday 
night,  -April  14,  1865,  and  on  Sunday  night 
following  he  preached  a  memorial  sermon 
by  request  of  citizens,  who  had  assembled 
in  mass  meeting.  He  look  for  his  text, 
"And  the  children  of  Israel  wept  for  Moses 
on  the  plai;is  of  Moab. "  The  preaching  of 
this  sermon  was  a  herculean  task.  The 
hall  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  every  ex- 
pectation was  at  its  height.  Much  was  ex- 
pected of  the  new  minister,  who  had  only 
arrived  the  previous  Thursday.  The  atten- 
tion was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  in 
due  time  the  speaker  who  had  began  to 
warm  up.  enthused  the  audience  to  such  an 
extent  that  their  highest  expeditions  were 
more  than  realized.  The  meeting  and  that 
address  were  frequently  spoken  of  for 
n  onths  and  years. 

After  remaining  in  Sandwich  about  two 
years.  Dr.  Robertson  w^ent  to  Springfield, 
Illinois,  as  pastor  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian church,  and  was  there  for  four 
years. 

In  the  summer  of  1870  Dr.  Robertson 
received  and  accepted  a  unanimous  call 
from  the  Chestnut  Street  Presbyterian 
church,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  one  of  the 
largest  and  wealthiest  churches  in  the  state. 
During  his  pastorate  in  that  city  he  received 
the  honorarj-  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity, 
from  Danville  College.  Danville,  Kentucky. 
In  the  winter  of  1872-73,  he  became  editor 
of  the  Louisville  Daily  and  Weekly  Com- 
mercial, the  leading  Republican  paper  of 
the  state,  of  which  General  John  M.  Harlan, 
later  one  of  the  justices  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States,  was  the  leading 
owner. 

In  iS74Dr.  Robertson  returned  to  Sand- 
wich, and  took  charge  of  the  Sandwich 
Gazette,    and    for    nearly  seventeen    years 


544 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


was  its  editor  and  publisher.  He  was  then 
appointed  deputy  collector  of  revenue, 
with  headquarters  in  Chicago.  He  had 
charge  of  the  butterine  department,  looking 
after  the  seven  factories  then  in  operation 
in  Chicago.  The  seven  factories  one  month 
made  between  five  and  si.\  million  pounds 
of  butterine.  Their  output  was  nearly  forty 
million  pounds  per  year.  In  addition  to 
looking  after  the  factories,  he  had  charge 
of  the  wholesale  and  retail  dealers,  about 
fifteen  hundred  in  number,  who  were  each 
required  to  secure  license  for  the  sale  of 
butterine.  With  the  change  of  administra- 
tion, he  retired  from  that  office. 

Dr.  Robertson  was  married  May  30, 
1859,  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Beveridge,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Thomas  Beveridge,  D.  D.,  who  for 
many  years  was  the  leading  professor  of  the 
Theological  Seminary;  of  the  Associate  and 
afterwards  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  Her  paternal  grandfather.  Rev. 
Thomas  Beveridge,  came  from  Scotland, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  ministers  in  Wash- 
ington county.  New  York,  and  until  his 
death  was  pastor  of  the  Cambridge  church. 
Her  mother  belonged  to  the  McKee  familj-, 
many  of  whom  are  prominent  citizens  of  the 
same  county. 

To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  William  H.  is  the 
secretary  of  the  Midland  Elevator  Com- 
pany, on  the  Board  of  Trade,  Chicago. 
He  married  Miss  Fannie  Schnelh",  of 
Peoria,  and  they  have  one  child,  Dorothv. 
She  was  formerly  a  very  successful  teacher 
in  the  Sandwich  public  schools.  Bessie  is 
the  wife  of  S.  P.  Sedgwick,  cashier  of  the 
Sedgwick  Bank  of  Sandwich,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Ray,  Westel  and  Marjorie. 
Harrj  is  now  in  Missouri  engaged  in  news- 
paper work.      He  has  traveled   extensively 


in   Australia,    Sandwich    Islands,    and     the 
United  States. 

Dr.  Robertson  in  his  various  relations  in 
private  and  public  life,  has  always  been  the 
same  earnest,  upright,  capable  and  court- 
eous gentleman,  winning  and  holding  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him.  He  has  many  amiable  qualities  and 
good  business  methods  have  tended  to 
make  him  popular  in  all  classes  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  He  and  his  most 
estimable  wife  are  greatly  beloved,  and  their 
influence  for  good  can  scarcely  be  overesti- 
mated. Earnest  in  all  he  undertakes,  and 
possessing  rare  powers  of  exhortation,  he 
can  bring  home  to  the  hearts  and  con- 
science of  his  hearers  their  shortcomings 
as  few  public  speakers  can. 


GEORGE  W.  MONTAGUE,  who  owns 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
acres  in  section  20,  \'ictor  township,  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  in  the  village  of  Leiand. 
He  was  born  in  Cromwell,  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1827,  and  there 
grew  to  manhood  and  received  a  good  com- 
mon-school education.  He  is  the  son  of 
Daniel  and  |ane  (Clugage)  Montague,  the 
former  a  native  of  \'irginia  and  the  latter 
of  Pennsylvania.  B)'  occupation  the  father 
was  a  farmer,  a  vocation  that  he  followed 
during  his  entire  life. 

In  his  youth,  Mr.  Montague  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  followed  that  occu- 
pation until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  for 
the  Union.  In  1847,  he  came  west  and  lo- 
cated at  Little  Rock,  Kendall  county,  Illi- 
nois, which  was  his  home  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  united  in  marriage  July  i, 
1855,  with  Miss  Mary  Mulkey,  a  native  of 
Ashecountv,  North  Carolina,  and  a  daughter 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


545 


of  William  and  Sarah  (Cox')  Mulkey,  both 
of  whom  were  also  natives  of  the  same 
state.  There  was  but  one  child  by  this  un- 
ion, William  A.,  who  grew  to  manhood, 
and  married  Esther  Scoval,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  fanning  in  \'ictor  township.  They 
have  four  children:  Alice,  Charles,  Her- 
bert and  Jessie. 

\\'hen  the  war  for  the  union  was  in  prog- 
ress and  men  were  in  demand,  Mr.  Mon- 
tague enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-seventh  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry, 
with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  With  his  regiment  he  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  the  battles  of  Jackson,  Missis- 
sippi, Mission  Ridge,  and  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign. He  was  then  in  the  march  through 
Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  and  was  dis- 
charged in  June,  1S65.  A  brother  was  also 
in  the  service. 

On  receiving  his  discharge,  Mr.  Mon- 
tague returned  to  Little  Rock,  Illinois,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  1868,  when  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  in  \'ictor 
township,  De  Kalb  county,  where  he  has 
since  continued  to  reside  and  to  which,  in 
1877,  he  added  eighty-two  acres  more. 
Since  taking  possession  of  the  farm,  he  has 
made  various  improvements  upon  it,  includ- 
ing a  large  barn,  the  erection  of  a  fine  wind- 
mill, and  tiling  the  greater  portion  of  it.  He 
has  proved  himself  a  practical  farmer,  and 
has  been  quite  successful  in  the  business. 
For  more  than  fifty  years  Mr.  Montague 
has  been  a  resident  of  northern  Illinois, 
while  his  wife  has  resided  here  since  1834, 
at  which  time  she  was  brought  in  early  child- 
hood by  her  parents  to  Kendall  county. 
In  the  years  that  have  come  and  gone  they 
have  witnessed  many  changes,  and  although 
their  li\es  in  many  respects  have  been  une- 


ventful, they  have  yet  done  what  they 
could  in  advancing  the  material  interests  of 
their  adopted  county  and  state.  In  all  the 
years  they  have  maintained  the  respect  and 
good-will  of  their  friends  and  neighbors. 


\  X  rARREX  WEEDEX,  who  has  a  val- 
V  V  uable  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  acres  in  section  32,  Mayfield 
township,  has  been  a  resident  of  Ue  I\alb 
county  since  April,  1855.  He  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Hartland,  Windsor  count\-, 
\ermont,  October  i,  1829.  His  father. 
Captain  Samuel  Weeden,  was  a  native  of 
the  same  town,  county  and  state,  born  in 
1792.  His  father,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  Samuel  Weeden,  Sr.,  a  native 
of  Rhode  Island,  from  which  state  he 
moved  to  \\  indsor  county.  \'ermont.  Cap- 
tain Samuel  Weeden  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  state,  and  there  married  Martha 
A.  Cady,  also  a  native  of  Windsor  county, 
\'ermont.  They  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
their  native  count}',  the  Captain  dying  in 
Bridgewater,  Vermont,  in  1S70,  at  the  age 
of  seventy- six  years.  His  wife  survived 
him  a  few  years.  His  title  of  Captain  was 
secured  by  service  in  the  militia  in  the 
war  of  1S12,  where  he  did  good  service. 
Of  their  family  of  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter,  all  grew  to  mature  years  except 
the  daughter,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years.      Four  of  the  sons  yet  survive. 

Warren  Weeden  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive county,  his  primary  education  being 
received  in  the  common  schools,  which  was 
supplemented  by  several  terms  in  a  select 
school  and  academy.  For  several  winters 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  his  native 
state,  an  occupation  which  he  followed  for 
a  time  after   his    remo\al    to   Illinoi.-^.       In 


54<5 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1 85 5  he  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, 
arriving  in  Sycamore  in  April  of  that  year. 
Durinf^  the  summer  following  he  worked  at 
carpentering  and  also  during  the  season  in 
the  harvest  fields.  This  he  continued  to 
do  until  the  fall  of  1858.  when  he  returned 
to  Vermont,  and  in  Windsor  county,  No- 
vember 6,  1858,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Frances  S.  Wood,  a  native  of 
the  same  county,  there  reared  and  edu- 
cated, and  a  daughter  of  Otis  and  .Angelina 
Wood.  Mrs.  Weeden  is  a  lady  of  good 
education  and  was  a  teacher  in  Vermont, 
and  also  taught  a  few  terms  after  her  re- 
moval to  Illinois. 

Immediately  after  their  marriage  the 
young  couple  came  to  De  Kalb  county, 
where  Mr.  Weeden  engaged  in  teaching  at 
Malta,  during  the  following  winter.  In  the 
spring  he  engaged  in  farming  in  the  vicinity 
of  Malta,  and  for  two  years  was  employed 
in  farming  and  teaching  in  the  winter.  His 
wife  also  engaged  in  teaching,  having  a  few 
scholars  in  their  own  home.  In  i860  he 
removed  to  Mayfield  township,  where  he 
rented  a  farm  and  also  taught  school  dur- 
ing the  winter.  In  1862  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides,  and  locating  thereon  at  once  com- 
menced its  improvement.  .\s  his  means 
increased,  and  the  opportunity  was  afforded 
him,  he  added  to  his  possessions  until  now 
he  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
acres,  on  which  he  has  built  a  neat  and 
substantial  residence,  good  barn,  granerj', 
shop  and  other  outbuildings,  and  otherwise 
improved  the  place. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weeden  two  children 
have  been  born.  Angelina  C.  is  now  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Weeden,  a  farmer  of  May- 
field  township.  Otis  N.  is  a  young  man 
now  residing  in  the   state   of   Washington, 


where  he  owns  and  operates  a  claim.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Weeden  have  also  reared  and 
educated  three  children  besides  their  own. 
Ira  Farwell  grew  to  manhood  under  their 
care,  married,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Mayfield  township.  I^aura  Farwell 
is  now  the  wife  of  George  Ray,  and  they 
reside  near  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.  Xellie 
Perry  yet  remains  with  her  foster  parents. 
Politically  Mr.  Weeden  was  originally 
an  Abolitionist,  and  cast  his  first  presiden- 
tial ballot  for  John  P.  Hale.  Since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Republican  party,  he  has 
supported  its  men  and  measures.  He  has 
served  as  assessor  of  his  township,  and  also 
as  township  trustee.  His  influence  has  al- 
ways been  on  the  side  of  the  public  school 
system,  and  for  years  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  Religiously  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Univer- 
salist  church  at  Sycamore.  Coming  to  the 
county  in  very  limited  circumstances,  by 
his  industry,  assisted  by  his  good  wife,  he 
has  acquired  sufficient  to  enable  them  to 
live  in  comfortable  circumstances  during 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  No  couple  in 
Mayfield  township  are  held  in  higher  esteem 
than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W'eeden. 


AD.  WALLACE  is  a  retired  farmer,  but 
an  esteemed  business  man,  living  in 
Sandwich,  Illinois.  He  was  born  in  Earl- 
ville,  La  Salle  count}',  Illinois,  June  16, 
1 85 1.  His  father,  Charles  ^^'allace,  was  a 
native  of  Vermont,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  later  moved  to  New  York.  He 
married  Jeannette  Wier  in  Ottawa,  Illinois. 
In  about  1840  he  came  to  Illinois,  locating 
in  La  Salle  county  and  building  the  first 
frame  house  in  Earlville.  He  was  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  but  for  some  years  engaged  in 


THE   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


547 


agricultural  pursuits.  On  coming  to  the 
state  he  purchased  some  government  land 
and  later  purchased  from  private  parties 
other  tracts,  becoming  the  owner  of  consid- 
able  land  in  and  near  Earlville.  On  one  of 
his  farms  was  a  log  house,  which  was  taken 
down  a  few  years  since  and  was  the  last  of 
its  kind  within  a  radius  of  many  miles. 
Connected  with  it  were  many  stories  and 
pleasant  associations,  endearing  to  those 
with  whom  they  were  familiar.  He  built  a 
brick  block  in  Earlville,  which  is  now  owned 
by  our  subject.  Religiously,  he  was  a  Pres- 
byterian, of  which  bod\-  his  wife  was  also  a 
member.  He  died  in  October,  1SS4,  when 
about  si.xty-five  years  old.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him,  dying  in  1S89  at  the  age  of  about 
si.xty-four  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Dr.  .A.  C,  who  was  born  May 
10,  1848.  studied  and  practiced  dentistry, 
and  died  in  1891;  .\.  D.,  our  subject:  Gil- 
bert; Charles,  who  died  young:  and  George, 
who  died  of  consumption  when  about  nine- 
teen years  old. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the 
Earlville  schools.  After  leaving  school  he 
traveled  for  a  wholesale  grocery  house  and 
was  in  the  retail  grocery  trade  in  Earlville. 
On  the  28th  of  January,  1875,  he  married 
Miss  Delia  A.  Rogers,  a  daughter  of  Israel 
Rogers,  of  Sandwich.  By  this  union  are 
four  children:  Claude  \V.,  who  was  born 
December  10,  1877,  died  August  18,  1878, 
at  the  age  of  eight  months  and  eight  days; 
Mabel  C,  Lewis  Earl  and  Ruth  Jeannette, 
all  of  whom  are  at  home. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Wallace 
moved  to  the  farm,  where  he  remained  seven 
years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1S82  located  in 
Sandwich,  where  he  has  since  continued  to 
reside.      He  has  a  beautiful   home   at  416 


North  \\'est  street.  He  is  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business  and  is  the  owner  of  con- 
siderable property  in  Earlville  and  Sand- 
wich, including  the  Wallace  House  and  va- 
rious dwellings  and  store  buildings.  He  is 
also  a  large  stockholder  in  the  Sandwich 
Enterprise  Company  and  in  other  corpora- 
tions. 

Religiously  Mrs.  Wallace  is  a  member  of 
the  Latter  Day  Saints.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  considerable 
interest  in  political  affairs.  He  has  been 
alderman  from  his  ward  for  two  years,  and 
has  done  much  for  the  improvement  of  his 
adopted  city,  both  officially  and  as  a  private 
citizen.  He  takes  part  in  all  enterprises 
which  promise  ffcr  the  best  welfare  of  the 
city.  In  the  past  year  he  has  made  much 
improvement  in  the  Wallace  House,  in  the 
way  of  repairs  and  putting  in  electric  lights, 
etc.  The  success  which  has  attended  his 
efforts  has  been  gained  by  the  pursuit  of 
honorable  and  enterprising  methods,  and  he 
is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  and 
representative  business  men  of  the  city  of 
Sandwich. 


M 


.\KTIN  DODGE,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding in  the  city  of  De  Kalb.  is  one  of 
the  respected,  prominent  and  useful  citizens 
of  the  county.  He  is  a  descendant  of  one 
of  \'ermont's  best  and  most  worthy  citizens. 
His  father,  .\bram  Dodge,  was  a  quiet,  ge- 
nial man  of  social  habits,  whose  home  was 
one  of  comfort.  He  removed  from  \ermont 
to  Canada  in  1808,  where  he  remained  five 
years,  enduring  all  the  hardships  of  pioneer 
life  in  that  climate  and  at  that  date.  He 
was  married  in  Vermont,  previous  to  his  go- 
ing to  Canada,  to  Miss  Elsie  Cook,  by  whom 


548 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


he  had  seven  children,  live  of  the  number 
reaching  maturity — Daniel,  Thomas,  Han- 
nah, Louise  and  Martin.  The  latter  is  the 
only  surviving  member  of  the  family.  Han- 
nah and  Louise  were  women  of  rare  intel- 
lectual ability,  for  whom  nature  and  art 
did  much  in  bringing  out  those  beautiful 
traits  of  character  which  make  humanity 
divine.  They  both  taught  schools  and  were 
successful  educators.  Louise  taught  until  a 
short  time  before  her  death,  which  occurred 
in  the  twenty-se\enth  \ear  of  her  age.  Han- 
nah taught  for  twenty  years.  Both  were 
stanch  supporters  and  members  of  the  .Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 

Martin  Dodge  remained  at  home  until 
after  the  death  of  his  parents,  which  occurred 
in  i860.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  wife  being  Miss  Maria  Priest,  the  ac- 
complished daughter  of  Mr.  Priest,  a  native 
of  his  own  town  and  one  of  the  wealthiest 
farmers  living  there.  Mrs.  Maria  Dodge 
was  a  refined  lady  and  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  at  Black  River  Academy. 
She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  Three  of  her 
brothers  were  in  the  Civil  war.  One  broth- 
er, a  graduate  of  Tuft's  College,  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  is  now  president  of  a  college 
in  New  York.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr. 
Dodge  married  at  Mt.  Holly,  \'ermont,  .April 
8,  1874,  Miss  Anna  Eliza  Chase,  daughter 
of  Elijah  and  Tryphosa  (Blodgett)  Chase. 
While  in  Vermont  Mr.  Dodge  held  several 
offices  of  trust  which  he  filled  with  marked 
ability.  He  is  now  a  useful  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  De  Kalb. 

Abram  Dodge,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
died  at  Mt.  Holly,  Vermont,  in  1865,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven  years.  His  wife,  Mrs. 
Elsie  (Cooki  Dodge,  was  a  woman  of  rare 
<]ualities    of    mind.       Her    honored    father, 


Daniel  Cook,  was  one  of  the  brave  men 
who  in  the  Revolutionary  war  was  willing 
to  sacrifice  his  life  for  liberty  and  independ- 
ence. Abram  Dodge  was  the  son  of  Daniel 
Dodge,  of  Scotch  extraction,  and  who  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  war  was  a  noted  scout 
on  the  American  side  and  whose  exploits 
turned  the  tide  of  war  more  than  once 
against  the  British.  He  was  one  of  the 
main  factors  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne's 
army.  His  wife,  Hannah  \'an  Waland,  was 
a  sweet  dispositioned  woman,  whose  last 
days  were  passed  peacefully  at  Mt.  Holl\-, 
where  her  death  occurred  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-seven  years. 

Mrs.  Anna  Eliza  (Chase)  Dodge  was 
horn  at  Mt.  Holly,  \'ermont,  January  8, 
1844.  Her  father,  IClijah  Chase,  was  a 
native  of  .\thnl,  Massachusetts,  born  De- 
cember 17,  1S04.  Her  mother,  Tryphosa 
Chase,  was  a  native  of  Deerfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, born  April  7,  1808.  They  were 
married  at  Athol,  Massachusetts,  Septem- 
ber 19,  1827,  after  which  they  remo\ed  to 
Mt.  Holly,  Vermont,  where  they  resided 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Chase,  which  occurred 
April  5,  1872.  In  1876  his  widow  re- 
moved to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  to  make 
her  home  with  Mrs.  Dodge,  and  remained 
there  until  death  took  her  hence  August  21, 
1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chase  were  excellent 
people  and  their  church  relations  were  very 
dear  to  them.  Mr.  Chase  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  served 
as  steward,  his  wife  ably  aiding  him  in  his 
church  work,  being  a  member  of  the  same 
bod}'.  Their  home  was  one  of  sunshine 
and  happiness,  where  love  predominated. 
Everybody  was  welcome,  and  nearly  every- 
body came. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and   Mrs.  Chase  con- 
sisted of   ten  children,  eight  of  whom  grew 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


549 


to  maturit}'.  Joseph  was  a  prominent  man, 
an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  a  man  of  unspotted  char- 
acter. PhilHp  E.  and  .-Kmbrose  P.  were 
founders  of  a  large  manufacturing  industry 
at  Mt.  Hollj",  and  were  very  successful  in 
their  business.  They  were  both  soldiers  in 
the  Civil  war,  and  fought  bravel}-  in  defense 
of  their  country's  integrity.  Phillip  was  a 
member  of  Company  A,  Second  Vermont 
A'olunteer  Infantrj',  and  was  deservedly  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  captain.  Ambrose 
was  a  member  of  the  TwentN-first  Massa- 
chusetts \'olunteer  Infantry.  Phillip  trav- 
eled extensively,  and  being  a  close  observer 
of  men  and  nature  was  a  man  of  marked 
ability  and  social  qualities,  which  made  his 
companionship  desirable.  In  church  and 
politics  he  was  a  recognized  leader  in  his 
faith,  but  he  never  sacrificed  his  religious 
principles  for  his  politics,  but  brought  his 
church  influence  into  his  political  affairs. 
He  served  several  terms  in  both  branches 
of  the  legislature  of  his  state.  Notwith- 
standing his  public  and  busy  life,  yet  so  true 
was  he  to  his  local  church  that  he  was  al- 
ways ready  to  give  his  time  to  advance  its 
interest.  His  death  occurred  some  years 
ago.  .Ambrose  is  now  living  in  Rutland, 
\'ermont.  Susan  married  Henr}'  Decker- 
man,  and  died  in  November,  1871,  leaving 
two  children,  one  of  them,  Charles  I.  Deck- 
erman,  being  in  the  office  of  B.  E.  Ellwood 
at  De  Kalb.  Edwin  B.  was  also  engaged 
in  the  Civil  war,  and  belonged  to  the  same 
regiment  as  did  his  brother  Phillips.  Eu- 
gene R.  was  engaged  as  shipping  clerk  in 
the  establishment  of  his  brothers,  Phillips 
and  Ambrose,  but  afterwards  became  a  ho- 
tel keeper  in  his  native  town.  He  is  now  a 
resident  of  New  Hampshire.  Parna  mar- 
ried  Alexander  Cheney,  of  Orange,  Massa- 


chusetts, and  died  two  years  later.  Mrs. 
Dodge,  the  remaining  member  of  the  family, 
is  an  educated  woman  and  was  a  successful 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  New  Eng- 
land for  fourteen  years.  No  woman  in  De 
Kalb  is  better  known  or  more  highly 
esteemed  than  Mrs.  Dodge  for  her  many 
excellent  traits  of  character.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
is  an  active  worker  in  the  same. 

(jrandmother  Blodgett  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  was  an  inmate  of  the 
Chase  home  in  Vermont,  and  blessed  it 
with  cheer,  anecdote  and  love.  In  1876 
the  mother  of  Mrs.  Dodge  came  to  reside 
with  her,  and  continued  with  her  until  re- 
moved by  death.  She  never  grew  old  and 
ever  added  to  the  happiness  of  the  home. 
Sweet  and  helpful  always,  old  and  young 
alike  were  charmed  by  her  presence. 


ISRAEL  ROGERS,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
1  siding  in  Sandwich,  Illinois,  was  born  m 
Rensselaer  county.  New  York,  April  4,  1S18. 
When  nineteen  years  old  he  ino\ed  to 
Oneida  county.  New  York,  and  four  years 
later,  in  1841,  came  west  and  settled  in 
Kendall  county  where  he  pre-empted,  and 
later  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land.  His 
holdings  at  onetime  were  about  eleven  hun- 
dred acres,  ail  of  which  he  lias  disposed  of, 
his  son  owning  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  which  comprised  his  Hr.st  purchase, 
and  which  is  now  \-ery  valuable.  For  some 
\ears  he  f;ave  special  attention  to  stock 
raising  in  adilition  to  his  general  farm  work, 
raising  and  feeding  cattle  more  especially. 
In  1877  he  left  the  farm,  moved  to  Sand- 
wich, and  has  since  made  that  place  his 
home.  His  father,  David  Ivogers,  came 
west   somewhat  later  than  our   subject,    but 


550 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


also  made  his  home  in  Kendall  county, 
where  he  operated  a  small  farm.  His 
death  occurred  in  November,  1883,  while 
lacking  a  few  months  of  being  eighty-eight 
years  old.  His  wife,  Betsy  Rogers,  who 
was  born  April  18,  1799,  died  January  19, 
1866.  They  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  before  their  remo\al  to  Illinois,  but 
on  coming  here  united  with  the  Latter  Day 
Saints.  The}'  were  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  old- 
est. The  others  were  David  K.,  deceased; 
John  A.,  deceased;  A.  Judson,  now  residing 
in  Colorado;  Mary  V.,  widow  of  Ramson 
Partridge,  residing  in  Sandwich;  Silas  M.,  a 
farmer  residing  in  Ford  county,  Illinois; 
Sarah  R. ,  who  married  a  Mr.  Chase,  both 
now  being  deceased;  Loren  D.,  residing  in 
Sandwich;  Parmelia  J.,  wife  of  Aaron  Kath- 
bone,  residing  in  Sandwich;  Martha  Ann, 
who  married  Elijah  Graves,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased; Stephen  B.,  residing  in  Sandwich; 
Alvina,  wife  of  Robert  Hevener,  a  farmer 
residing  in  Ford  county,  Illinois;  Jane  E., 
who  married  D.  Serene — she  is  deceased; 
and  Daniel  H..  who  resides  in  Ford  county. 
Our  subject  is  a  direct  descendant  of 
John  Rogers,  who  was  burned  at  the  stake 
in  Smithfield,  England,  on  account  of  his 
religious  views,  being  a  reformer  as  early  as 
1535.  Mr.  Rogers  was  married  February 
24,  1839,  to  Mahala  Salisbury,  and  by  this 
union  there  are  six  children:  George  \\'., 
who  married  Lydia  Howard  November  2, 
1861,  now  resides  in  Independence,  Iowa — 
she  IS  now  deceased.  Lewis  I.  married  An- 
nette Lamphere,  September  14,  1862,  and 
they  reside  in  Sandwich.  Martha  L.  mar- 
ried Melvin  Howard,  October  29,  1861,  and 
they  removed  to  Iowa  where  her  death  oc- 
curred. Mary  M.  is  the  wife  of  James  Dar- 
nell, and  their  marriage  ceremony  was  cele- 


brated December  2,  1868.  Harriet  A.  mar- 
ried Charles  Sprague,  August  15,  1869. 
Delia  A.  married  Albert  Wallace, January  27, 
1875.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
September  22,  1892,  when  about  si.sty-six 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Rogers  took  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Rachel  Trout,  their  marriage  being 
solemnized  October  16,  1S93.  Shevvasthe 
widow  of  George  \V.  Trout. 

Our  subject  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Latter  Day  Saints  church,  in  which  he  is  a 
presiding  elder.  He  takes  ver}'  little  inter- 
est in  politics,  voting  in  an  inde|)cndent 
way.  For  some  years  he  has  acted  as  ad- 
ministrator of  many  estates  and  has  inva- 
riably given  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 


JOHN  M.  SCHOONMAKI'R,  of  I'raiddin 
township,  is  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  enterprising  farmers  of  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty. He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Hannibal, 
New  ^■ork,  August  16,  1827,  and  is  the  son 
of  John  and  Julia  (Farnhami  Schoonmaker, 
the  former  a  native  of  Fiat  Bush,  Long 
Island,  and  the  latter  of  Shaftesbury,  Ver- 
mont. The  jiaternal  grandfather,  Martin 
Schoonmaker,  was  a  native  of  Holland,  who 
came  to  America  before  Revolutionary 
times  and  settled  at  I'lat  Bush,  Long  Island. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Oswego  county. 
New  York,  and  opened  up  a  farm  in  the 
heavy  timber,  and  there  his  death  occurred 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  a  descendant  of  the  I'^arn- 
hams  that  came  to  America  in  the  May- 
flower. She  was  a  daughter  of  Amasa  Farn- 
ham  and  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
fourteen  children,  seven  boys  and  seven 
girls.  The  sons  were  William,  Amasa, 
Reuben,  Samuel,  Solomon.  Moulton  and 
Nathan. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


55' 


John  and  Julia  Schoonmaker,  the  par- 
ents of  our  subject,  came  to  De  Kalb  county 
in  June,  1845,  and  settled  on  a  tract  of 
eight}'  acres  of  government  land  near  the 
present  village  of  Fairdale,  Franklin  town- 
ship. He  there  engaged  in  farming,  meet- 
ing with  fair  success,  and  there  continued 
to  live  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  His  wife 
died  in  1849.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children, —  Catherine,  John  M.,  I^ydia 
M.  and  Susan. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  his  native  state,  and 
when  eighteen  years  of  age  accompanied  his 
parents  to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and 
here  he  has  since  continued  to  reside,  giving 
his  time  and  attention  to  general  farming. 
When  his  country  was  in  sore  distress  and 
calling  loudly  for  men.  in  August,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
sworn  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  With  his 
regiment  he  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  from  that  place  to  the  front  with  the 
main  army.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Ke- 
saca,  Cassville,  Georgia,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
and  from  there  he  was  ordered  back  to  Lou- 
isville, Kentucky.  On  the  28th  of  June, 
1864,  while  in  Louisville  he  was  commis- 
sioned first  lieutenant  of  a  company  of 
United  States  colored  troops,  and  served 
with  that  company  until  he  was  finally  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service.  He  was  in  the 
following  engagements:  Fort  Burnham, 
Hatchs  Run,  and  on  the  5th  of  April 
charged  the  enemy's  works  at  Petersburg. 
He  followed  Grant's  army  to  Richmond, 
and  was  with  Grant  when  Lee  surrendered 
on  the  9th  of  April,  1865.  With  his  regi- 
ment he  was  sent   to  Texas  to  accept  the 


surrender  of  General  Kirby  Smith.  Not- 
withstanding the  war  was  ended,  his  regi- 
ment was  retained  in  the  service  until  the 
27th  of  February,  1866,  when  it  was  mus- 
tered out  at  La  \'aca,  Texas.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  De  Kalb  county  and 
engaged  in  farming. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1S4S,  Mr. 
Schoonmaker  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Nancy  Miller,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Crillj  Miller,  both  natives  of  Herki- 
mer count}-.  New  York,  and  who  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children:  Thomas,  Pol- 
lie.  Catherine,  John,  Daniel,  Margaret, 
Betsy,  Jonas,  Nancy,  Henry,  Julia  A.  and 
Chester  A.  Of  these  Thomas,  Pollie,  Cath- 
erine, Daniel  and  Jonas  are  deceased.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoonmaker  four  children 
were  born:  .Mice  is  now  the  wife  of  C.  F. 
Meyer,  of  Franklin  township;  Elnora  is 
the  wife  of  B.  A.  Patten,  of  Silver  Lake, 
Kansas;  George  F.  resides  on  the  old  home 
farm;  Dora  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Craig, 
of  Irene,  Boone  county,  Illinois. 

In  January.  1849,  ^^r.  Schoonmaker 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
section  32,  Franklin  township,  and  still  has 
that  land  in  his  possession.  He  later  added 
to  the  tract,  thirty  acres  of  prairie  and 
twenty  acres  of  timber  land.  In  1880,  he 
purchased  a  nice  property  in  Fairdale, 
moved  to  the  village  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  general  stock  business,  until  within 
the  past  three  }ears.  He  is  now  living  a  re- 
tired life.  For  fifty  years  he  and  his  wife 
have  spent  their  lives  together,  and  she  has 
been  to  him  a  helpmeet  indeed.  On  the 
6th  of  September,  1898,  they  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding,  with  ninety-five  of 
their  friends  and  relatives  present.  While 
;n  the  army  she  successfully  carried  on  the 
home  farm.    Both  are  members  of  the  Meth- 


552 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


odist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  steward,  trustee  and  class  leader. 
In  politics  he  is  an  out  and  out  Prohibi- 
tionist. 


WILLIAM  L.  ELLWOOD.— Four  of 
the  greatest  factors,  enerj;y,  enter- 
prise, brains  and  money,  combined  to  place 
De  Kalb  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  live-stock 
interests  of  the  United  States.  While  much 
has  been  said,  and  rightfully,  too,  regarding 
her  manufacturing  enterprises,  her  live- 
stock interests  are  equally  entitled  to  hon- 
orable mention.  On  the  outskirts  of  this 
city  is  located  the  home  farm  and  sale  sta- 
bles of  the  world-renowned  Ellwood  Green, 
the  fame  of  which  is  based  upon  the  fact 
that  purchasers  could  find  here  animals  not 
only  of  individual  merit  but  of  pure  blood. 
When  entering  the  field  to  supply  the  de- 
mand for  first-class  carriage  and  draught 
horses  the  reputation  of  Mr.  Ellwood  was 
at  stake.  He  began  to  import  horses  from 
France,  England  and  other  countries  in 
1882,  principally  the  French  coach  and 
Percheron  draught  horses. 

One  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  magni- 
tude of  this  enterprise  and  the  capital  in- 
vested in  the  business.  There  are  four 
thousand  acres  divided  into  five  farms,  all 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  the  finest  stock  in 
the  world.  At  all  times  from  seven  to  nine 
hundred  head  of  horses  are  kept  upon  these 
farms,  and  from  three  to  five  hundred  head 
of  cattle,  besides  other  stock  in  proportion. 
In  addition  to  his  property  in  De  Ivalb 
county,  Mr.  Ellwood  owns  two  hundred  and 
eighty  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Mitchell, 
Lamb  and  Hockley  counties,  Texas,  di- 
vided   into  ranches,  which  are    fenced   and 


cross-fenced  for  the  accommodation  of 
twenty  thousand  head  of  cattle.  The  in- 
crease is  between  four  and  five  thousand  per 
annum,  and  as  they  mature  to  two  and 
three  years  they  are  shipped  to  Chicago. 
Besides  the  cattle  on  these  Texas  ranches 
there  are  three  hundred  Percheron  mares 
which  have  been  shipped  there,  together 
with  several  pure  blood  stallions,  and  their 
offspring  is  brought  to  Illinois  for  develop- 
ment and  sale.  Mr.  Ellwood  has  charge 
of  this  mammoth  enterprise  with  a  corps  of 
assistants  under  him,  but  it  is  so  admirabh' 
systematized  that  he  is  ecjual  to  the  task. 

William  L.  Ellwood  was  born  in  De 
Kalb,  November  6,  i860,  and  is  a  son  of 
Isaac  L.  Ellwood,  of  whom  mention  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  His  educa- 
tion was  commenced  and  finished  in  his  na- 
tive city,  having  all  the  advantages  of  a  col- 
lege education  by  private  instructors  in  his 
father's  home.  His  interest  in  horse  breed- 
ing began  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  since  which 
time  he  has  become  proficient  in  the  man- 
agement of  that  noble  animal, —  man's  best 
friend.  He  keeps  a  skillful  veterinary  sur- 
geon and  always  has  a  full  supply  of  drugs 
for  all  cases  of  sickness  to  which  animals 
are  liable. 

In  June,  18S3,  Mr.  Ellwood  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  Allen,  who  was 
born  at  Shabbona  in  1864,  a  daughter  of 
H.  A.  Allen.  Two  children  have  come  to 
bless  their  union  :  Jean,  born  in  August, 
1885;  and  Harriet  Eliza,  in  1887. 


JAMES  HOWISON.— Among  the  many 
J  worthy  substantial  citizens  of  Sand- 
wich, none  deserved  more  honorable  men- 
tion than  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
was  born   in  the  lowlands  of   Scotland,  and 


thp:  biographical  record. 


553 


is  the  son  of  George  and  Margaret  (Brown) 
Howison.  Ill  1828,  when  but  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  came  with  his  father  to  the 
United  States,  that  they  might  look  up  a 
home.  Finding  a  suitable  place  in  New 
York,  they  sent  for  the  family,  which  came 
over  the  ne.\t  year.  In  crossing  the  ocean, 
our  subject  was  three  months  en  route,  en- 
countering several  storms  during  the  time, 
but  suffering  no  special  damage.  The  same 
trip  can  now  be  made  in  si.x  days,  which  is 
an  illustration  showing  the  progress  made 
in  seventy  years.  After  residing  in  New 
York  some  ten  years,  our  subject  and  his 
younger  brother,  William,  visited  what  was 
then  the  far  west,  and  finding  the  opportuni- 
ties much  greater  for  advancement,  the}'  re- 
ported their  observations  to  the  family,  and 
all  determined  to  come  west.  Leaving 
New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1839,  they  came 
bj'  way  of  the  Erie  canal  and  by  lake  to 
Chicago,  which  required  eight  days.  They 
remained  in  Chicago  but  a  short  time,  hav- 
ing no  idea  of  the  great  city  which  in  time 
was  there  to  be  built.  The  present  great 
city  was  then  but  a  small,  insignificant  vil- 
lage, but  a  good  market  for  grain.  From 
Chicago  they  came  to  the  head  of  Somo- 
nauk  creek,  where  they  took  up  go\ernment 
land,  and  also  bought  the  claim  of  another 
party  of  some  four  hundred  acres,  paying 
the  government  price  of  a  dollar  and  a  quar- 
ter an  acre.  In  addition  they  bought  ten 
acres  of  beautiful  timber  land,  and  the  first 
winter  engaged  in  getting  out  rails,  stakes, 
posts  and  wood,  all  of  which  were  for  ser- 
vice on  the  new  farm.  With  characteristic 
energy  they  went  to  work  to  improve  the 
farm,  but  after  residing  there  two  years,  the 
father  passed  to  his  reward,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  His  wife  survived  him 
some  years,  and   died   in   her  eighty-fourth 


year.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  is  the  oldest. 
The  others  were  William,  a  farmer  residing 
in  Clinton  township,  De  Kalb  county,  Illi- 
nois; Eliza,  wife  of  Alexander  White,  resid- 
ing on  a  farm  near  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  in  Somonauk  township;  Alexander, 
residing  on  the  old  homestead;  and  Robert, 
a  farmer  living  near  Waterman.  Both  par- 
ents were  devout  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  already 
stated,  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he 
left  Scotland.  During  his  ten  years  resi- 
dence in  New  York,  he  worked  by  the 
month  for  various  parties,  and  on  coming 
to  De  Kalb  county,  he  assisted  in  opening 
up  the  farm,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  with  the  exception  of 
the  time  spent  in  California.  On  the  iith 
of  March,  1850,  in  company  with  William 
Patton,  Mr.  Hoag,  James  Blair  and  James 
\\alker,  he  started  overland  for  the  New 
Eldorado.  Mr.  Walker  died  near  the  Lone 
Tree,  while  en  route.  That  tree  stands  all 
alone,  and  is  now  pointed  out  from  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad  train,  being  the  onl\' 
tree  within  sight  for  many  miles  which  can 
be  seen  with  the  naked  eye.  He  was  sick 
but  a  short  time,  but  suffered  very  much. 
The  other  four  got  through  all  right  to 
Weavertown,  where  the  first  diggings  were 
located.  They  remained  there,  however, 
but  a  short  time,  and  then  went  to  Sacra- 
mento, where  they  laid  in  a  supply  of  pro- 
visions, and  then  v^ent  to  the  diggings  on 
Yuba  river,  where  our  subject  hired  out  to  a 
company  for  eight  dollars  per  day.  He  re- 
mained there  on  the  Yuba  river  during  the 
greater  part  of  tht:  time  while  in  California. 
After  he  had  been  in  that  state  for  two 
years,    he  was  joined   by  his   brother,  Alex- 


554 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ander,  and  the  two  remained  three  years 
longer.  During  two  summer  seasons  our 
subject  worked  on  a  ranch,  for  which  he  re- 
ceived one  hundred  and  si.xty  dollars  a 
month  and  board. 

On  going  to  California,  Mr.  Howison 
crossed  the  plains  with  three  spans  of  horses 
and  two  covered  wagons,  and  while  en  i\  utc 
saw  buffalos  by  the  million.  This  gave  him 
a  chance  to  see  some  of  the  outlines  and 
boundaries  of  his  adopted  country,  and  an 
opportunity  to  realize  what  it  was  in  rough- 
ing it  while  in  the  far  west.  With  all  the 
hardships  incident  to  that  primitive  kind  of 
life,  there  were  afforded  many  scenes  of 
pleasure  and  romance.  When  making  up 
his  mind  to  return,  he  chose  to  return  by 
water,  taking  the  Aspinwall  line,  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  The  boat  on  which 
he  took  passage  was  shipwrecked  by  strik- 
ing a  rock.  The  passengers  were  rescued 
by  the  John  L.  Stephens,  on  which  they 
continued  their  journey,  arriving  home  in 
due  time,  and  again  taking  up  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming. 

Mr.  Howison  was  married  November  12, 
1867,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Kirkpatrick,  a 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Julia  Ann  Kirk- 
patrick. and  by  this  union  one  child  was 
born,  Charles,  a  graduate  in  architecture 
from  the  State  University  at  Champaign  in 
the  class  of  '97.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Howi- 
son were  natives  of  Perry  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  were  married  in  1832.  In  their 
family  were  nine  children  as  follows:  Isa- 
bella, widow  of  John  Harter,  who  was  killed 
by  the  cars  in  Waterman,  where  she  now 
resides.  Hannah  E.  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
Howison,  and  they  reside  in  Waterman. 
Matilda,  who  married  Amos  McCaskey,  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  Alvina  is 
the  wife  of  W.  J.  Walker,  a  farmer  residing 


in  Kansas.  Mary  Jane  is  the  wife  of  our 
subject.  Julia  A.,  wife  of  Robert  Walker, 
resides  in  Sandwich.  Rebecca  is  the  wife 
of  John  Walker,  a  farmer  residing  in  Morris 
county,  Kansas.  Jessie  P.  died  in  infancy. 
Isaac  F.  resides  in  Harper  county,  Kansas. 
The  father  of  these  children  died  September 
3,  iS7[,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years; 
the  mother  was  a  woman  of  rare  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart,  and  many  in  the  circle 
of  her  acquaintance  remember  her  with  ten- 
derest  recollections. 

In  1879  Mr.  Howison  moved  to  Sand- 
wich, where  he  is  now  li\ing  a  retired  life, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  in  Sandwich,  and  in  the  work 
of  the  Master  have  always  taken  especial 
delight.  In  politics  he  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican, but  he  is  quite  independent,  always 
casting  his  vote  for  those  he  considers  best 
qualified  for  the  office.  A  residence  of  si.xty 
years  in  I)e  Kalb  cininty  has  brought  him 
in  contact  with  many  of  its  best  citizens, 
and  no  man  is  more  highly  esteemed. 


HON.  HIRAM  LOUCKS,  e.x-supervisor 
and  member  of  the  legislature,  from 
De  Kalb  county,  was  born  in  Schoharie 
county,  New  York,  May  26,  1824,  but  was 
reared  in  Madison  county,  in  the  same  state. 
His  parents  were  Abram  and  Elizabeth 
(Ten  Eyck)  Loacks,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  New  York.  By  occupation  the 
father  was  a  farmer,  one  who  cared  nothing 
for  office-holding,  but  gave  his  best  endeav- 
ors to  his  farm  and  farming  interest.  His 
death  occurred  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years,  while  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty years. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


555 


John  Loucks,  took  part  in  the  Indian  war, 
prior  to  the  Revolution.  His  wife  was  Re- 
becca Burst,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Burst, 
who  was  taken  prisoner  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  was  returned  in  the  ex- 
change of  prisoners.  The  maternal  grand- 
father,. John  Ten  Eyck,  married  a  Miss 
Simons,  a  daughter  of  David  Simons,  who 
was  of  a  noted  New  York  family. 

Abaham  Loucks  in  early  life  was  a 
Lutheran,  while  his  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  Later  they 
both  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church, 
in  which  faith  they  died.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children  as  follows: 
Hiram,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Cather- 
ine, who  married  John  Stewart,  but  is  now 
deceased;  Eliza,  wife  of  Ale.xander  Stewart, 
a  brother  of  John,  resides  in  Michigan; 
Ellen,  who  married  Scott  Duncan,  but  is 
now  deceased;  John,  who  resides  on  the  old 
homestead  in  New  York;  Hazelious,  who 
also  resides  on  the  old  homestead;  George, 
who  resides  in  New  York;  Luther,  residing  in 
Michigan;  Henrj",  who  moved  to  Minnesota, 
where  his  death  occurred;  James,  who  lives 
in  New  York,  and  Joseph,  of  New  York. 

Our  subject  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and 
followed  that  occupation  in  connection  with 
lumbering  for  many  years.  In  1857,  he 
came  west,  locating  in  \'ictor  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois  where  he  opened  up 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  which  he  im- 
proved and  which  he  devoted  to  dairy,  stock 
and  grain  purposes. 

Mr.  Loucks  was  married,  in  1850,  to 
Amanda  \"osburg,  daughter  of  .Abram  \'os- 
burg,  a  resident  of  Columbia  county.  New 
York.  By  this  union  were  five  children. 
( I )  Nelson,  who  resides  on  a  farm  in  O'Brien 
county,  Iowa,  married  Ida  Wells,  of  Sand- 
wich, and  their  children  are  Gertie,  Celia, 

28 


Mary,  Hiram  and  John.  (2)  Emogene  mar- 
ried William  Ray,  and  they  reside  in  Shab- 
bona,  Illinois.  They  have  one  child,  Eliza- 
beth. (3)  Anna,  married  Henry  Severy, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Frank.  (4)  James 
married  Miss  Wells,  and  they  reside  on  a 
farm  in  O'Brien  county,  Iowa.  (5)  Henry, 
who  resides  on  the  old  homestead,  married 
Lillie  Ouillhot,  and  their  children  are  lone 
and  Helen.  The  mother  of  these  children, 
who  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine  years.  Mr.  Loucks  was 
married,  July  29,  1876,  to  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
Smith,  widow  of  Capt.  Henry  L.  Smith. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Israel  and  So- 
phronia  (Mills)  Shailer,  her  father  being  a 
minister  of  the  Presbyterian  church  for 
many  years  in  Ohio. 

In  politics  Mr.  Loucks  is  independent, 
though  for  many  years  he  was  a  decided 
Republican.  The  first  office  that  he  ever 
held  was  that  of  school  director  and  he 
served  in  that  official  position  for  fifteen 
years.  He  was  commissioner  of  highwaj'S 
for  seven  jears,  and  while  residing  in  Victor 
township  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  for  eight  years,  and  since  his 
removal  to  Sandwich  has  served  in  the 
same  office  for  nine  years.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1881,  re- 
elected in  1883,  and  served  two  sessions, 
taking  a  general  interest  in  all  questions  be- 
fore that  body  and  being  a  valuable  mem- 
ber. In  1883  he  removed  to  Sandwich 
since  which  time  he  has  been  living  practi- 
cally a  retired  life.  He  is  a  man  of  deep 
convictions  and  positive  in  his  views,  which 
he  voices  with  readiness.  In  his  official 
positions,  he  gave  a  high  degree  of  satisfac- 
tion as  is  evidenced  in  his  re-election  for  a 
term  of  years   to  the  same  office.      He  has 


S56 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


been  a  successful  man  and  is  justly  entitled  to 
the  respect  which  he  enjoys  as  an  honored, 
substantial  and   worthy  citizen. 


FRANK  C.  PATTEN,  owner  and  man- 
ager of  the  Frank  C.  Patten  Co.,  has 
had  an  unusually  successful  business  career, 
showing  industry  and  executive  ability.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Afton  township,  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  on  October  lo,  1867. 

His  father,  Sylvester  W.  Patten,  was 
born  in  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  in  i^j7, 
and  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native 
state,  where  he  obtained  his  primary  edu- 
tion  in  district  schools.  In  1S50  his  parents 
came  to  Illinois,  and  located  in  Boone 
county,  where  they  remained  a  year  or  two 
and  then  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  locating 
in  South  Grove  township.  Sylvester  W. 
assisted  his  father  in  farming  operations 
during  summers,  teaching  school  during 
the  winter  months  until  his  marriage  near 
Belvidere,  Boone  county,  Illinois,  May 
1,  i860,  with  Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Coffin,  a 
native  of  Delaware  county.  New  York,  born 
in  1839,  and  who  came  west  with  her  par- 
ents, locating  near  Belvidere  in  1845.  ^he 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Anne 
(Hull)  Coffin.  Her  paternal  great-grand- 
father, John  Coffin,  was  born  in,  1753  and 
married  Mary  \"an.  Tassel,  of  German  de- 
scent, born  in  1743.  Their  son,  Isaac 
Coffin,  was  the  father  of  Jacob,  who  was 
born  in  1773. 

The  Coffin  family  were  originally  of  Nor- 
man stock.  The  first  to  come  to  America 
was  Tristam,  who  came  with  eight  sons  in 
1642  and  settled  in  Massachusetts  near  Hav- 
erhill. Tristam  Coffin  and  others  bought 
Nantucket  Island.  His  eldest  son  settled 
near   Albany   and    from    him    sprang    John 


Coffin,  great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Sylvester 
\V.  Patten. 

After  his  marriage  Sylvester  W.  Patten 
bought  a  farm  eight  miles  south  of  De  Kalb 
and  there  resided  until  1882,  when  he  sold 
out  and  purchased  another  farm  two  miles 
northwest  of  De  Kalb.  On  that  farm  he 
resided  until  1892,  when  he  remo\ed  to  the 
city  of  De  Kalb,  where  he  has  since  contin- 
ued to  reside, — now  having  charge  of  the 
Hinckley  Brick  &  Tile  Yards,  one  of  the 
plants  belonging  to  Patten  Bros.  Tile  Co. 

To  Sylvester  W.  and  Elizabeth  C.  Pat- 
ten were  born  si.\  children,-  Mary  L..  a 
successful  teacher  in  De  Kalb;  EmmaL. ,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Greeley,  of  Waterman,  Illi- 
nois; Frank  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Edith  S.,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of 
Austin,  Illinois;  .Mice  C,  teacher  in  the 
Bloomington  High  School;  and  Elizabeth 
M.,  a  student  in  the  State  Normal  School. 

After  attending  district  schools,  P"rank 
C.  Patten  entered  the  high  school  in  De 
Kalb,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1885. 
Immediately  after  graduating  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Win.  Deering  Co.,  of  Chicago, 
remaining  with  this  firm  about  one  year. 
Desiring  to  go  into  business  for  himself,  he 
returned  to  DeKalb,  and  starting  a  small 
shop  began  manufacturing  sundries  in  a  lim- 
ited waj'.  Owing  to  increase  in  business  in 
1887  he  purchased  a  building  and  emploxed 
several  hands  to  assist  him.  He  pushed 
the  business  to  such  an  e.xtent  that  soon  his 
building  covered  three  and  a  half  lots  in  the 
city  and  in  1891  had  spread  out  over  the  en- 
tire block. 

In  addition  to  his  manufacturing  busi- 
ness, in  1889  Mr.  Patten  began  contracting 
and  building,  — purchasing  vacant  property, 
subdividing  and  building.  He  built  on  his 
own    account    between    seventy-five    and    a 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


557 


hundred  houses  and  on  contract  for  others 
twice  as  manv  more.  Few  men  of  his  age 
have  ever  undertaken  and  carried  through 
to  success  such  a  work.  Before  twenty-five 
years  of  age  he  had  erected  more  tlian  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  buildings,  while  at 
the  same  time  conducting  his  regular  manu- 
facturing business.  In  addition  to  residence 
work,  he  built  school  buildings  at  DeKalb, 
Maple  Park,  Elburn  and  Crossdale,  employ- 
ing draughtsmen,  masons,  carpenters,  tin- 
ners, plumbers,  painters,  and  paper  hangers 
as  well  as  laborers,  —  the  combined  pay  roll 
of  industries  under  his  ownership  going  as 
high  as  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  per  day. 

.■\bout  this  time  Mr.  Patten  organized  a 
tile  company,  which  purchased  and  virtually 
re-built  two  large  plants.  These  after  a 
prosperous  business  career  were  disposed  of 
to  their  present  owners,  the  Patten  Bros. 
Tile  Co. 

In  1893  he  came  to  Sycamore  and  pur- 
chased the  Marsh  Harvester,  and  also  the 
entire  plant  formerly  owned  by  the  R.  Ell- 
wood  Manufacturing  Co., — business  at  this 
point  being  conducted  under  the  name  of 
the  Frank  C.  Patten  Co.  This  concern 
manufactures  a  general  line  of  agricultural 
implements,  well  drilling  machinery  and 
gray  iron  casting,  catering  especialh-  to 
heavy  buj'ers,  who  have  goods  furnished 
under  contract  for  their  own  trade. 

Mr.  Patten  was  married  at  the  home  of 
his  bride's  parents  on  a  farm  near  Syca- 
more, to  Miss  Carrie  C.  Crane,  a  daughter 
of  Frederick  S.  and  Mary  Anne  (Bristol) 
Crane, — the  latter  a  native  of  Genesee 
county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Hiram 
and  Sarah  (Spink)  Bristol.  Frederick  S. 
Crane  was  born  in  Wayne  county.  New 
York,  in  1833,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
Illinois  in  1835.      Here  he  grew  to  manhood 


and  in  1853  crossed  the  plains  to  California. 
On  returning  home,  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Naperville.  where  he  resided  until 
1869,  when,  coming  to  DeKalb  county,  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in 
Courtland  township.  This  he  sold  in  1895, 
removing  to  Los  Angeles,  California. 

Frederick  S.  Crane  is  the  son  of  David 
and  Catherine  W.  (Stolp)  Crane,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Jeanette 
(Pepper)  Stolp.-  -Frederick  being  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  1812.  Both  families  are  of 
Holland  descent.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents were  Zebina  and  Hannah  (Gould) 
Crane. 


HIRAM  C.  WTLSON.  now  living  a  re- 
tired life  in  the  village  of  Kirkland,  is 
a  native  of  Calhoun  countj",  Michigan,  born 
November  29.  1838,  and  is  the  son  of  Roger 
and  Mary  i  Burdick)  Wilson,  the  former  a 
native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  the  latter 
of  Cayuga  county.  New  York.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  children.  Hiram  C.  and 
Ehzabeth.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Thoma.s  ^^'ilson,  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  who  came  to  America  in  iSio. 
and  settled  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York. 
B}-  trade  he  was  a  shoemaker,  an  occupa- 
tion which  he  followed  during  many  years 
of  his  life.  From  Cayuga  county,  New 
York,  Roger  Wilson  moved  to  Calhoun 
county,  Michigan,  in  1836,  where  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  gov- 
ernment land,  all  of  which  was  heavily  tim- 
bered. He  cleared  up  a  farm,  and  kept 
adding  to  his  possessions,  until  he  had  over 
five  hundred  acres,  the  greater  part  of 
which  was  under  cultivation.  He  sold  out 
in  1863,  and  came  to  De  Kalb  county,  and 
purchased,  with    his   son,  a   farm    of    three 


158 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  section  i,  South 
Grove  township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
Calhoun  county,  Michigan,  and  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  received  his  primary  education, 
after  which  he  entered  the  college  at  Battle 
Creek,  Michigan,  which  he  attended  for  two 
terms.  On  the  6th  of  October,  i860,  he 
married  Stella  M.  Foster,  a  native  of  St. 
Lawrence  county.  New  York,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  James  and  Susan  Foster,  also 
natives  of  the  same  county  and  state,  who 
at  an  early  day  moved  to  Calhoun  county, 
Michigan,  and  in  1882,  to  De  I\alb  county, 
Illinois.  He  read  medicine  in  Albany,  New 
York,  where  he  was  admitted  to  practice. 
For  about  forty-five  years  he  practiced  his 
profession  in  Michigan.  On  coming  to  De 
Kalb  county,  he  made  his  home  with  our 
subject,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1883, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years  and  six 
months.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  six  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  as  follows:  Warren, 
Alice,  Susie,  Joy,  Ira  and  Mabel. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Wilson  moved  with  his 
family, after  selling  his  farm  in  South  Grove 
township,  and  located  in  Kingston  town- 
ship, where  he  yet  has  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-two  acres  of  well  improved 
land.  After  remaining  upon  that  farm  for 
many  years,  he  rented  the  place  and  moved 
to  the  village  of  Ivirkland,  where  he  has 
nice  residence  property.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  held  various  local  offices, 
including  that  of  school  director.  He  is 
well  respected  and  has  many  friends  in  De 
Kalb  county. 


CHARLES    A.    SCHNEIDER,    who    is 
engaged  in   the   insurance    business   at 
Sandwich,  is  a  well  known    citizen    of  Ger- 


man birth.  He  was  born  in  Anhalt,  Des- 
sau, (jermany,  December  11.  1825,  and  is 
the  son  of  Christopher  and  \\'ilhelmina 
(Schuman)  Schneider,  who  never  came  to 
America,  but  spent  thi'ir  entire  lives  in  their 
nati\e  land,  the  father  dying  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years,  and  the  mother  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Evangelical  church,  and  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  oldest  and  the  only  one 
to  come  to  America.  August  died  in  Sax- 
ony, after  having  served  his  time  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  German  army.  W'ilhelmina  is 
the  widow  of  Carl  Seegcr,  and  is  yet  re- 
siding in  Germany,  although  she  has  a  son, 
Carl    Seeger,  residing  in  Sandwich. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
in  his  native  land  and  educated  in  its  pub- 
lic schools.  While  liable  for  military  duty 
in  1846,  he  was  never  called  out  for  the 
reason  there  were  no  wars  then  in  progress. 
In  his  youth  he  learned  the  tinner's  trade, 
which  occupation  he  followed  in  his  native 
land,  until  he  came  to  America  in  1854. 
On  arriving  in  this  country  he  engaged  as  a 
deck  hand  on  a  \essel  on  Lake  Superior,  at 
the  south  end  of  St.  Mary's  canal,  where 
he  handled  a  wheelbarrow  for  two  weeks; 
but  not  liking  that  kind  of  work,  abandoned 
it  and  coming  west  to  Chicago  again  en- 
gaged in  work  at  his  trade.  He  continued 
in  Chicago  for  three  years.  Having  a  friend 
in  Sandwich,  Mr.  Kleinschmidt,  he  came 
with  him  to  that  place  and  worked  at  his 
trade  until  1 884,  when  he  engaged  exclu- 
sively in  the  insurance  business  with  which 
he  has  since  been  connected.  He  now  rep- 
resents eight  different  companies,  among 
them  being  some  of  the  best  in  the  United 
States. 

In  1 86 1  Mr.  Schneider  returned  to  Ger- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


559 


many  on  a  visit,  and  in  1864  married  Sophia 
Bealnian,  a  daughter  of  Stuart  and  Sopliia 
Bealman.  The  latter  died  in  Chicago  at 
the  age  of  sixt3'-nine  years.  By  this  union 
were  born  four  children:  Charles  married 
Olivia  Unger,  and  they  now  reside  in  Oma- 
ha, where  he  is  engaged  in  the  railway 
freight  office  of  the  Northwestern  Railroad. 
Powell  married  Anna  Bernard,  and  they 
reside  in  Sandwich.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  J. 
\V.  Arnold,  and  thej-  also  reside  in  Sand- 
wich. Anna  is  the  housekeeper  for  her  fa- 
ther, her  mother  having  died  December, 
1893,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and  four 
months.  She  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
German  Evangelical  church,  of  which  body 
her  husband  and  family  are  also  members. 
When  Mr.  Schneider  first  came  to  the 
United  States  he  took  passage  in   a  sailing 


vessel  and  was  forty-six  days  on  the  water. 
For  a  time  the\-  met  with  heavy  weather, 
and  later  it  was  so  calm  that  their  vessel 
would  hardly  move.  This  all  regarded  as 
worse  than  the  heavy  weather.  On  return- 
ing to  the  old  country  on  his  visit  it  did  not 
require  much  time  for  him  to  make  up  his 
mind  that  the  United  States  was  a  better 
place  for  a  man  of  industry  and  enterprise, 
than  the  land  of  his  birth.  Since  coming 
here  he  has  been  fairly  successful  in  business, 
and  has  never  regretted  the  step  taken.  He 
takes  little  interest  in  politics,  preferring  to 
give  his  attention  to  his  business  interests. 
In  his  various  relations  in  public  and  private 
life  he  has  always  been  the  same  earnest, 
upright,  capable  and  courteous  gentleman, 
winning  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  a  large 
circle  of   friends. 


liXDE 


Abel,  Kzra 419 

Allisnn.  Arthur :M2 

Ames,  John  S 89;^ 

Anderson,  M.  P 2-2 

Armstrong.  S.  T SS[> 

Arnold,   lohn -'W^J 

ArnoM,  John  W .iOl 

Athcrton,  Benjamin  ¥ 51 

Atherton,  William  M 134 

Aurner,  Leonard 140 

Aurner,  J.  H i;« 

Banks,  James  497 

Barber,  Clark  L 29U 

Beaubien,  Soliston 69 

Bemis,  Bnghani  P HoO 

Benson,  Charles  P 459 

Bend,  Lewis 517 

Bently,  George  D 41 

Berg,  Theodore  O 127 

Bettis,  Professor  F.  B 40 

Betz,  John   402 

Bishop,  Judge  Charles  A 4H 

Black,  Daniel 81 

Blake,  James 521 

Blair,  John  M 500 

Blair,  William 136 

Blanchtield,  Richard  W .523 

Blee,  John  W 4»5 

Bliss,  Major  K   499 

■Boardman,  Hon.  Henry  M  . . . .  177 

Boies,  Edward  I 31 

-Boston,  Robert 197 

Bovnton,  Charles  O 44 

Bradburv,  Alfred 171 

Bradt,  Charles  E 271 

Branch,  Hiram  F 420 

Brock,  Patrick 43 

Brown  &   Brow  n 256 

Brown,  Charles 64 

Brown.  D.  1) :382 

Browne.  Lester  J 397 

Buehl.  William  A 107 

Burnham,  Alvin  P 474 

Burst,  Edward  M 150 

Burst,  Major  John  W 471 

Byers,  William  M 113 

Byro,  Edward 445 

Campbell,  Jabez 469 

Campbell,  Silas  R 329 

Carnes,  Duane  J 98 

Carroll,  John 523 

Carter,  Orando 115 

Cary,  H.  O 24 

Chapman.  Mrs.  .Sarah 94 

Clapsaddle,  George  H 304 

Clapsaddle,  Henry 191 

Clark,  George 'Ml 

Clark,  Joel  W   275 

Clark,  Winfield  S 198 


Clarke,  Alfred  L 435 

Cliffe,  Thomas  M 74 

Cole,  Marcus  W 88 

Coleman,  Hector  H 207 

Coles,  Francis  M 468 

Cooper,  r.  W    60 

Corkings.  Thomas  S 319 

Cornwall.  Thomas 528 

Corson.  John  R   450 

Corv.  David  N    198 

Coster,  .Alpha  J 483 

Coster,  Joseph  C 86 

Court,  -Alexander  R 147 

Crawford.  Carl   B 361 

Crocker.  Rev.  A.  .A 386 

Crofoot,  Dwight  K 519 

Crosby,  Charles   H 252 

Curtis,  Elijah 52 

Dale,  Thomas  S 213 

Darnell,  Enoch   531 

David,  Dr.  John  C 483 

Davis,  Edward  C 518 

Davie,  Charles 416 

I  )avv,  lohn  G 159 

Dean,  Myron  M 392 

I  )ecker,  Warren 307 

Delana,  Edward  .M 273 

Dennis,  Gurdon  H   405 

Dennis,  William  A 539 

Divine,  Eleazer 417 

Divme,  Richard  1 .540 

Doane.  A.  Charles 263 

Doane,  Charles  E 253 

Dodge,  Lucian 199 

Dodge,  Martin   547 

Donnelly,  Eugene  0 329 

Downer,  Asher  204 

Driscoll,  Theodore  D 437 

Duffey,  Robert 35 

Duncan,  Dr.  J.  C 155 

Dunton.  George  W 222 

Dustin,  General  Daniel 9 

Dutton,  General  E.  F 229 

Fames,  Lewis 145 

Fllwood,  .Abram 236 

FlKvood,  I.  1 26 

Ellwoo<l.  J.  E ^ati 

Fllwood,  Hon.  Reuben 537 

Fllwood.  W.  L 5.52 

Euhus,  Henrv 394 

Evan.s,  Ira   .: 351 

Evans,  I..  Dow 348 

Faltz.  C.    W .509 

Fay,  Herbert   W 92 

Fav,  Wells  A 189 

Flewellin,  Edwin  L 493 

Foiles,  C.  H 61 

Forward,  Walter  .M 293 


Foster,  Captain  Joseph  W...   17U 

Frvkman.  Rev.  .Magnus 179 

Fuller,  William 86 

Gammon,  Frank  E 212 

Gardiner,  Edward  P 192 

Garner,  Charles  W 210 

Gibbs,  David  .\1 294 

Gibson,  John   S 428 

Gilkerson,  Hiram 436 

Giison,  Edwin    ...  14 

Givens,  J.icob i:82 

Gleason,  L.  E hliS 

Glidden,  Joseph  F 300 

Coble,  W.  .Mott 181 

Goff,  William 309 

Grange,  Rev.  W.  S 362 

Graves,  .Abraham  D 331 

Gray,  John 481 

Green,   John 235 

Gross,  Lewis  M    66 

Gurler,  Henry  B 326 

Hadsall,  John 404 

Haish,  Jacob 56 

Halt,  Edwin   .  . 233 

Hallett,  James 430 

Hammond,  Forrest  R 258 

•Hampton,  Hon.  Robert 82  • 

Hill,  N.J 541 

Hampton,  R.  F 220 

Hanrahan,  M 74 

Harmon,  James  Henry 498 

Harper,  Orlando 167 

Harrington,  James  E 211 

Harvey,  L.   P 477 

Haskins,  Horace 320 

Helson,  John 3.59 

Hill,  John  N   414 

Hill.  N.J ,541 

Hill,  Ole  X 440 

Hills,  Frank  E 475 

Hix,  Lewis  P   97 

Hodge,  Levi  S :i84 

Hohm,  Daniel   201 

Holcomb,  R.  J .m 

Holland.    Thomas   21 

Holiembeak,  .Aramont  .\" 364 

Holmes,  Charles  S 168 

Holmes,  G.R 71 

Hopkins,  H.  H 1.54 

Hopkins.  Thomas  M 153 

Houck,  Ra  1  ph  .A 442 

Howison,  Alexander 51() 

Howison.  James 552 

Hovt,  William 511 

Hubbard,  Charles  .A 72 

Huht>ard,  Warren .502 

Hubbard.  William 258 

Hueber,  (ieorge  E 515 

Hueber,  Gottlieb  F 224 


^62 


INDEX. 


Ingmanson,  Jonas  374 

Jackman,  Kendall 318 

Jessen,  Edwin 101 

Johnson,  John IW 

Johnson,  John  D Sto 

lones,  Harvey  A 118 

Jones,  Richard  F 456 

Keene,  \V.  H •289 

Kellofjs.A.  R 81 

Kellogg,  Nathaniel  S 349 

Kellum,  Hon.  Charles 16 

Kennedv,  A.  G 398 

King,  Alfred 396 

King,  John '232 

King,  William  L 363 

Kinsloe,  Cajit.  A.  S  242 

Kittelson,  Halvor 471 

Kline,  Henrv    385 

Koch.  Henry 403 

Labrant,  William "202 

La  Bolle,  lohn  B 514 

Lake,  Myron  E 429 

Lane,  James 208 

-La  Pone,  Frank  A   203 

Larson,  John  H 287 

Lawrence,  John 254 

Ledovt,  Edward  F 490 

Leifheit,  Adolph 20 

Leishman,  James 218 

Leonard,  Patrick 531 

Lewis,  George  G 30 

Little,  James  L 432 

Lossnian,  Herman  G 283 

Loucks,  Hiram 554 

Lovell,  Andrew   441 

Lowell,  Hon.  Luther 388 

Lowman,  Frank  D. 541 

Lucas,  Dr.  George  N 139 

McClelland,  John  U 288 

.McGirr,  Dennis 455 

McGirr,  Patrick  A 146 

McGirr,  John 246 

McGuire,  Francis  W 299 

McMurchv,  Malcolm 284 

McQueen,'  Hugh 492 

Mackey,  Harrison   266 

Maitiand,  lames 407 

Mason,  Horatio  H 182 

Mason,  William  H 418 

Marshall,  John 438 

Maurer,  George  T 340 

Merrill,  Orville  B   62 

Merrit,  Orrin 357 

Miller,  John 261 

Miller,  Peter 251 

Miller,  Dr.  William  T 493 

Montague.  G.  W 544 

Moon,  William  R 297 

Moore,  lames  H       354 

Mordoff,  Dr.  Charles  H 260 

Morrison,  John 513 

.Mowers,  Aaron 361 

Mullen,  Harker 84 

Mullins,  John ,     33 


Nesbitt,  Dr.  George  W. .    ....  457 

Xewitt,  Robert 25 

Nisbet,  James 470 

Noble,  Ezekiel 446 

Norton,  Orrin  M 219 

Ohlmacher,  Christian  J 316 

Oleson,  J.  0 61 

Olnistead,  George 253 

Orput,  James  M 284 

Osborn,  Henry 520 

Ott,  John 76 

Parke,  Captain  A.  F '. . . .  108 

Parker,  J.  E 376 

Parker,  Thomas 496 

Partridge,  General  F.  W 172 

Patten,  Frank  C 556 

Perkins,  Henry  N 244 

Peterson,  .Samuel 240 

Phel  ps,  Edgar  M 352 

Pierce,  Austin  \' 408 

Pierce,  Daniel 36 

Plapp.  Philip  F 352 

Pond,  A.  H 440 

Pond,  Charles  C   272 

Pond,  Judge  William  1 194 

Poplin,  Jesse  F 524 

Post,  Alva  F 459 

Poulson,  Peter 477 

Powell,  James  T 495 

Powers,  Edward  li 240 

Powers,  John   158 

Proctor,  Richard  B 264 

Quiglev,  Robert 582 

wJ^iuilhot,  Peter  \^    104 

Quist,  Samuel 277 

Ranier,  Captain  .Anthony 22 

Ramer,  Peter  358 

Ray,  .-Xlexander 84 

Redniond,  J.  P 481 

Renwick,  Thomas   246 

Richards,  Nathan  S 298 

Roberts,  John  D 487 

Robertson,  Rev.  G.  H 542 

Robinson,  Fred  T 427 

Robinson,  Hon.  George  S 13 

Robinson,  Lorenzo 461 

Robinson,  William   H 165 

Rogers,    Lsrael 549 

Rosette,    Bailey 815 

Rowen,  Gurden  C   ;H08 

Rowley,  Albert  F 12 

Rowley,  Enoch  P .505 

Salisbury,  Charles  H   296 

Sanderson,  Samuel  M 103 

Schneider,  Charles  A 558 

Schoonmaker,  John  M 5,50 

Schuyler,  i:)r.  C 118 

Scott,  Frank  R .506 

Sebree,  W.  Marshall -   425 

Sedgwick,  W.   \\" 4.52 

Shaffer,  L.   C .526 

Shatter,  Capt.  lames  N 8l0 

Shipman,  M.  D 262 

Shoop,  John  F 2*8 

Sisley,  George  E 265 


Sivwright,  Nelson 330 

Skmner,  (ames  M 503 

Slater,  H'enrv   H 812 

Slater,  Philo  F 84 

Smith,  Edwin  P   187 

Smith,  Rev.  W.  H 274 

Stanlev.  Geome  H 286 

Stark,  .Marshall 401 

Stephens,  Samuel 415 

Stiles,  Samuel  H 342 

Storey,  -Septimus 148 

Stolt,  J.   E 396 

Taylor,  George  1 410 

Thomas,  W.  H 449 

Tischhouser,  John 870 

Townsen<l.  .Amos  W 160 

Townsend,  Edwin 81.'{ 

Townsend,  Hon.  F.  H 214 

Truby,  Nathaniel  G .806 

Uplinger,  Benjamin  F 190 

Ujilinger,  John  H 217 

Van  Galder,  Frank  () 70 

Van  Horn,  Mrs.  Anna 65 

Von  Ohlen,  William 42 

\'an  Wert,  Capt.  William 376 

X'osburgh,  Williani 526 

Walker,  John   146 

Wallace,  A.  D 546 

Walrad,JosephO.. 209 

Warren,  Norman  C 332 

Watson.  John   488 

V\atson,  Lincoln 516 

Watson,  William 892 

Wayland,  Dr.  Joseph   P 54 

Weber,  Nicholas 527 

Weddell,  Charles  V   406 

Weddell,  William  B 387 

Weeden,    Warren 616 

Welch,  George  W 414 

White,  A.  Gates 535 

White,  Charles  H 507 

White,  George  522 

Whiteman,  Israel  R 102 

Whitmore.  Henry  O 448 

Whittemore,  Henry  C 166 

Wilder,  Dr.  C.  H..' 143 

Willev,  Morris 128 

Wilkin-son,  Ralph  N 413 

Willis,  Robert 529 

Willrett,  C.G 447 

Wilson,  Hiram  C 567 

Winders,  Thomas  J 106 

Winslow,  Peleg  S 116 

Witter,    William 316 

Wood,  George   187 

Woodbury,  John  H 96 

W'oodbury,  W.  W 480 

Woods,  Isaac  S •'>0 

Worf,  Henry 276 

Wright,  Thomas  J   491 

Wnght,  W.  H 470 

Wvide,  William   W   2:34 

Wyman,  Hon.  B.  F 479 

Vounggren,  .A.  Rudoljih 221 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS-URBANA 

fH°E  "bIoSical  recor'd  of  de  kalb  count 


3  0112  025345502 


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